A new report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has uncovered widespread failures in rental assistance programs during the administration of Joe Biden, including taxpayer-funded payments made to tens of thousands of deceased tenants and thousands of potentially ineligible noncitizens.
According to HUD’s Agency Financial Report for fiscal year 2025, roughly 30,000 deceased individuals across all 50 states were either still enrolled in rental assistance programs or continued receiving benefits after their deaths.
The findings emerged after HUD conducted an automated comparison between its internal records and a US Treasury database, exposing billions of dollars in what the agency classified as “questionable” payments. A large concentration of these funds reportedly flowed to New York, California, and Washington, DC.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner described the findings as a systemic breakdown in oversight, saying the abuse of taxpayer dollars was enabled by a lack of strong financial controls during the Biden years. Turner said HUD is continuing investigations and will pursue accountability, while also reviving program integrity measures first advanced under Donald Trump to ensure assistance reaches eligible and vulnerable communities.