Jeff. Co. treasurer, fiscal leaders warn Trump policies to worsen housing crisis

State and county fiscal leaders, including Jefferson County Treasurer Angela Webb-Weinberg, raised concerns Tuesday about Trump administration policies they say will worsen the U.S. housing crisis.

During a Tuesday press call hosted by Dave Wallack of For the Long Term, a nonprofit that supports state and local fiscal stewards in advancing long-term economic growth, participants criticized Trump administration tariffs and a White House budget proposal to cut funding for Department of Housing and Urban Development programs.

Speakers highlighted Trump administration tariffs on lumber, steel and aluminum, which they said are driving up the cost of building a home. According to an April 2025 survey by the National Association of Home Builders, builders estimated that recent tariff actions increased construction costs by an average of $10,900 per home.

Participants also raised concerns about the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal, which would eliminate federal programs that states and counties rely on to finance affordable housing.

The White House budget proposal would eliminate funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Community Development Block Grants and Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing.

The House Appropriations Committee’s version of the 2027 HUD funding bill includes partial funding for programs such as HOME and Community Development Block Grants, while maintaining an approximately 8 percent cut in HUD discretionary funding compared with 2026. The House proposal would also eliminate funding for Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing.

“What happens to a community’s future when the people who keep it running can no longer afford to call it home?” Webb-Weinberg said, opening her remarks.

Webb-Weinberg noted that half of U.S. renters—22.7 million—spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities in 2024.

“Behind the numbers are families making difficult choices—a parent weighing rent against childcare, a young adult wondering whether homeownership will ever be within reach, a senior always asking whether they can afford to stay in their home where they built their life,” Webb-Weinberg said.

“We have to ask what happens when a family budgets carefully, saves consistently, works hard and still cannot afford a home,” Webb-Weinberg added. “The question challenges us to examine policies, investments and partnerships that shape our opportunities.”

Webb-Weinberg highlighted her office’s work with banks under the Community Reinvestment Act to ensure investors in development projects reinvest in the communities where those projects are located.

In late July, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposed changes to Community Reinvestment Act rules, including new bank size thresholds that critics such as the Urban Institute have argued will weaken incentives for banks to invest in low- to moderate-income communities.

When asked for her message to the Trump administration, Webb-Weinberg urged federal leaders to support local development and investment programs that promote affordable housing.

“Understand that families are suffering right now and we need help,” she said.

Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs; Sarah Benatar, treasurer of Coconino County, Arizona; and Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha joined Webb-Weinberg in the panel discussion.

Speakers criticized Trump administration projects such as the renovation of the White House’s East Wing while urging an end to the war in Iran and tariffs on building materials.

“Stop pushing for your vainglorious projects and focus on things that make a real impact and help Americans who you should be representing,” Frerichs said in his message to the president.

“Stop trying to cover everything in gold leaf and help us put up some siding,” Blaha added. “We need you to be focused on things that matter to everyday people—no more random wars, random tariffs, random gold leaf. Start focusing on what we need. Start supporting HUD. Start supporting these programs. Keep your promises, and we’ll all be in much better shape.”

In its June HUD proposal, the House Appropriations Committee rejected the elimination of funding for HOME and Community Development Block Grants. It also pushed back against the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, instead increasing the program’s budget by $10 million.

LIHEAP grants, which the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers annually in Alabama, help low-income individuals keep their utilities running during the winter months.