On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott volunteered to make the state a testing ground for a new federal program aimed at rooting out fraud in “affordable” housing assistance.
In a January 12 letter to U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Abbott offered Texas’ participation in a HUD pilot program designed to prevent misuse of federal housing funds.
The Trump administration is seeking state partners to combat waste in federal assistance programs. Texas, with its extensive network of “affordable” housing, could provide a significant test case for new anti-fraud measures.
“Taxpayers entrust government officials with the responsibility of administering programs efficiently and fulfilling clearly defined goals,” Abbott wrote in the letter. “We will gladly work with you to develop fraud-prevention measures that ensure federal taxpayer funds, like those in the rental-based assistance programs, are not taken advantage of by bad actors.”
The governor linked his housing fraud initiative to broader campaign promises.
“I look forward to working with you and President Trump in combating fraud, increasing the integrity of these programs, and Making Housing Affordable Again,” he added.
Abbott’s offer follows his directive last week for state agencies to investigate potential child care funding fraud in Texas. The move also comes in the wake of recent reports of government benefits fraud in Minnesota, where public assistance programs have allegedly been exploited, purportedly costing taxpayers billions of dollars, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The letter did not specify which fraud-prevention measures Texas might implement or when the pilot program would begin. HUD has not yet responded publicly to Abbott’s proposal.
