[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1071-H1072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DELAWARE

  (Ms. McBride of Delaware was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)

[[Page H1072]]

  

  Ms. McBRIDE. Madam Speaker, on the evening of February 27, the 
Community Legal Aid Society of Delaware, CLASI, was informed that the 
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was immediately 
terminating their fair housing enforcement grant at the direction of 
DOGE.
  This funding, which amounts to nearly half a million dollars, 
represents roughly 4 percent of CLASI's entire annual budget. It is a 
devastating blow to a well-respected, beloved, and vital organization 
that has been the sole enforcer of Federal fair housing laws in 
Delaware for decades.
  Since 2004, CLASI has been a critical player in protecting 
Delawareans from discrimination in housing transactions, whether they 
are buying, selling, renting, or simply trying to secure a safe place 
to live.
  For many of our most vulnerable residents, including individuals with 
disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and low-income families, 
CLASI has been a beacon of hope and a lifeline in pursuit of safe, 
quality, and affordable housing.
  Before CLASI began receiving HUD funding, much of this mistreatment 
went undetected, with only a small number of complaints filed and 
investigated each year. Yet, in just the first 2 years of receiving HUD 
support, the number of discrimination investigations in Delaware 
doubled. That number only continued to rise as CLASI expanded their 
work.
  Let me share some recent examples of the vital work of CLASI. This is 
work that has now been jeopardized by President Trump's cuts.
  A Delaware woman was injured in a horrible act of domestic violence. 
As she missed work for medical appointments and struggled financially, 
her landlord threatened eviction. CLASI stepped in, preventing the 
eviction, securing funds for the landlord, and ensuring this survivor 
of domestic violence was able to remain safely in her home.
  Another Delaware woman was facing life-threatening harassment from an 
abuser. She was in urgent need of a safe place to live but was trapped 
by a landlord refusing to let her end her lease. CLASI was able to 
negotiate an early termination of her lease and helped her preserve her 
section 8 voucher, enabling her to escape her abuser and find a safe 
home for herself and her children.
  There is an elderly woman who, after becoming wheelchair bound, was 
confined to her apartment on the third floor of a building that lacked 
an elevator. For nearly a year, she struggled to get the building to 
address her need for a safer, accessible unit. It wasn't until CLASI 
intervened that she was able to secure a transfer to a ground-floor 
unit, finally allowing her to live with dignity and safety.
  These are just a few of the examples of the impacts that CLASI has 
had on individuals and families in Delaware. Across the country, other 
fair housing organizations are facing the same fate, the same 
heartbreaking cuts by this administration.
  As of the current grant year, CLASI has handled 163 fair housing 
cases. That is 163 families, individuals, and neighbors who are able to 
access support and the protections guaranteed by Federal law. That is 
163 instances where CLASI's expertise and commitment have kept someone 
in their home or ensured that they could have housing that met their 
needs.
  Since the actions of President Trump took effect, all of that is at 
risk. At a time when the American Dream remains unaffordable and 
inaccessible for many and when housing, even basic shelter, remains out 
of reach for working people, this administration's actions make that 
problem worse. The termination of this funding is not just a fiscal 
hit. It is an attack on the principle of fairness.
  Housing isn't a luxury. It is a basic need. I will continue to fight 
to restore these funds. I will fight for the future of CLASI and other 
fair housing programs, and I will fight to ensure that every person in 
Delaware and across the country can rent or buy a safe, quality, and 
affordable home.
  The Delawareans' lives touched by CLASI's work should know that I 
stand with them. I will fight for them. Together, we will continue the 
work of guaranteeing fair housing for all.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Luttrell). Members are reminded to 
refrain from trafficking the well while other Members are under 
recognition.

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