Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Wednesday that his agency will "reinterpret" the landmark Obama housing rule meant to address housing discrimination, a regulation that conservatives have criticized as tantamount to a national zoning board.
"Do I believe in fair housing? Of course, I believe in fair housing," Carson told the Washington Examiner in a Wednesday interview. But he said he doesn't believe in "extra manipulation and cost."
"So we just have to reinterpret it, that's all," he said.
The rule in question is the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which was finalized in 2015. It is meant to implement part of the civil rights-era Fair Housing Act by requiring local governments to spell out plans for reducing segregation or risk eventually losing out on federal bock grants.
On Monday, a group of Republican members of Congress led by Utah Sen. Mike Lee called on Carson to rescind the rule.
Get the Exclusive
05.07.2024