1.4M of poorest renters risk losing homes with Trump’s proposed HUD time limit
WOODINVILLE, Wash. – Havalah Hopkins rarely says no to the chain restaurant catering gigs that send her out to Seattle-area events – from church potlucks to office lunches and graduation parties.
The delivery fees and tips she earns on top of $18 an hour mean it’s better than minimum-wage shift work, even though it’s not consistent. It helps her afford the government-subsidized apartment she and her 14-year-old autistic son have lived in for three years, though it’s still tough to make ends meet.
“It’s a cycle of feeling defeated and depleted, no matter how much energy and effort and tenacity you have towards surviving,” Hopkins said in an article published by msn.com.
Still, the 33-year-old single mother is grateful she has stable housing – experts estimate just 1 in 4 low-income households eligible for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rental assistance get the benefits. And now Hopkins is at risk of losing her home, as federal officials move to restrict HUD policy.
Amid a worsening national affordable housing and homelessness crisis, President Donald Trump’s administration is determined to reshape HUD’s expansive role providing stable housing for low-income people, which has been at the heart of its mission for generations. The proposed changes include a two-year limit on the federal government’s signature rental assistance programs.
Trump tells Texas GOP to redraw state congressional map to keep House majority
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said July 22 he is pushing Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional maps to create more House seats favorable to his party, part of a broader effort to help the GOP retain control of the chamber in next year’s midterm elections according to an article published by the Associated Press.
The president’s directive signals part of the strategy Trump is likely to take to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House just two years into his presidency. It comes shortly before the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature is scheduled to begin a special session next week during which it will consider new congressional maps to further marginalize Democrats in the state.
Asked as he departed the White House for Pittsburgh about the possibility of adding GOP-friendly districts around the country, Trump responded, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five,” reported the AP.
Trump had a call with the Texas’ Republican delegation and told them the Legislature would pursue five new winnable seats through redistricting, according to a person familiar the call who was not authorized to discuss it.
Minority Women Enterprise program shuts down due to new anti-DEI law
As Tennessee makes official cuts to its DEI programming and funding, one program that broke gender gaps in Memphis will shut down, according to an article published by Black Enterprise.
As of this month, the Minority Women Enterprise program in Memphis has stopped operations. The program was a success, making Memphis the only city in the nation where women business owners outnumbered their male counterparts, reported Black Enterprise.
According to WMC Memphis, the closure is a result of a new state law that eliminated all DEI initiatives. The Dismantling DEI Departments Act went into effect July 1.
Before its shutdown, the program offered support and resources for this growing sector of entrepreneurs.