The Brief

President Trump has repeatedly promised to "make America affordable again." But for those Americans most in need, his administration's latest budget plan would dramatically shrink the federal rental aid that helps keep millions of people housed.

In its request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the White House called the current system of federal rental assistance "dysfunctional" and proposed essentially ending Section 8 and other housing voucher programs. Its plan calls for cutting rental aid by about 40% and sending that money to states "to design their own rental assistance programs based on their unique needs and preferences."

It would also impose a two-year cap on rental assistance for able-bodied adults, which it said would ensure an even bigger share of federal subsidies went to the elderly and disabled.

The budget does include $25 million in housing grants for young people aging out of foster care.

In a statement, HUD Secretary Scott Turner called the budget request "bold" for reimagining aid programs that have become "too bloated and bureaucratic to efficiently function."

The proposal comes as nearly half of all renters are considered cost-burdened and as homelessness is at a record high. Advocates say that if millions of poor people barely making ends meet were to suddenly see their rental aid shrink — or even end altogether — it would tip many over the edge.

"We would see, I think, homelessness escalate in a way that has been really unprecedented, and unheard of," said Kim Johnson, policy manager with the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Already, federal rental aid falls far short of need. It's available for only about a quarter of all people eligible for it. "Cutting that really feels like cutting into bone," said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

The president's budget is only a suggestion, since Congress holds authority over spending and will create its own budget. But lawmakers are under pressure to find deep savings to enact Trump's larger agenda, which includes sweeping tax cuts.

Some congressional Republicans have already targeted healthcare and food aid for next year's budget, but "I don't think Congress has the appetite to enact cuts to the housing programs," says Kevin Corinth, with the conservative American Enterprise Institute. He sees the White House getting a kind of "free pass" to propose more ambitious HUD cuts that likely will not actually happen.

States would get more control over how HUD aid is spent — and more responsibility

While the White House budget blueprint would significantly shrink federal rental aid that helps millions of people, it said states could choose to pitch in with their own funding to make sure the same number of people are covered.

The plan does give states more flexibility on how they can use that smaller pool of money, by sending it in the form of block grants. Welfare funding works this way. Over time, however, many states have diverted much, if not most, of that money to things other than cash aid for poor families.

Housing advocates noted all this would be disruptive not only for tenants, but also for the millions of landlords who receive federal rental aid.

Another part of Trump's budget calls for shrinking HUD funding for homelessness by 12% and putting a two-year cap on people's eligibility for aid. It also proposes a fundamental shift in how homelessness funding is allocated that would bypass thousands of local nonprofits and give the money directly to states.

"That is very concerning to us," said homelessness advocate Oliva. "Homelessness is a very local issue. It happens in people's neighborhoods, it happens on city blocks and in city streets."

Oliva said states simply don't have the infrastructure or expertise to ensure homelessness funding can go to where it's most effective.

This change would also upend decades of federal policy by moving money away from permanent housing and toward shelters and shorter-term housing.

The impact of HUD cuts would ripple across local communities

Local advocates said the fallout from HUD cuts would affect much more than housing. "We're talking about a massive impact across communities," said Jessica Kubicki with the Housing Collective in Connecticut.

For example, people who may no longer be able to afford health insurance would be more likely to seek care in emergency rooms. The need for food aid would increase. And children in school could suffer if their parents were forced to leave their housing and squeeze in with family or friends.

"Because you've got maybe three kids sleeping in the same room, in the same bed," Kubicki said. "They're not sleeping well. They're not doing well educationally. They don't have food."

The cuts would also come on top of another impending loss of HUD funding. In 2021, as part of the COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act, the Biden administration funded 70,000 emergency housing vouchers for people without housing or at risk of losing it, and for those fleeing domestic violence.

That money was supposed to last until 2030. But it's running out faster than expected because of how much rents have spiked in recent years. HUD has told local housing authorities to prepare for emergency voucher funding to end next year — and possibly sooner.

In Connecticut, Kubicki is hoping the state can pick up that extra funding to give emergency voucher holders more time. But deep cuts to HUD's broader budget would make that even more difficult.

"This is not fixing anything," she said."This is making everything so much worse."

The case for making housing aid less generous

While Corinth of AEI does not believe Congress will slash HUD's budget, he does think it's worth asking whether federal housing programs are fair. "It makes sense to get people aid when they need it," he said, "but we don't necessarily want them to stay on it forever."

Many people receive housing subsidies for well over a decade. "If the median or fair market rent is around, say, $4,000 for a family in San Francisco, your income can get really high and you're still going to be getting those subsidies," he said.

Corinth also said when there's such a severe housing shortage like now, federal subsidies can goose the market and push up prices for everyone. He'd prefer to help people through other benefits, like tax credits.

Another way he thinks rental aid is not fair: There's not nearly enough to help most people who are eligible for it. "So I think it's very reasonable to say we should lower amounts, or have some kind of time limits," he said, "to kind of share around the resources to others." Corinth suggested a five year time limit.

Housing Secretary Turner has said the agency's ultimate goal is to "get people off subsidies and live a life of self-sustainability." On a recent trip to Arkansas, where the prospect of federal budget cuts came up, he said HUD's job is to "maximize the budget that we do have."

Layers of cuts could be "destabilizing" for the broader housing economy

Beyond rental aid cuts, the White House budget for HUD would eliminate a program that creates more affordable housing, and another that funds nonprofits to enforce fair housing laws.

Also on the chopping block: community development grants that cities can spend on everything from childcare services to home repair for seniors. The White House said that money has been used for things the federal government should not fund, like a concert plaza and skateboard parks.

Johnson, with the low-income housing coalition, said shrinking HUD funding could undermine the Trump administration's pledge to build affordable housing on federal lands. "How are you going to build affordable housing if you're also cutting the programs that make those deals pencil out for developers?" she said.

Advocates worry that HUD funding for disaster recovery could also be disrupted.

"In my own experience, folks who can get out of a disaster shelter on their own do so," said Oliva, with the homelessness alliance. But those who were already precariously housed or who have disabling conditions, she said, "without additional support, they will end up in the homeless services system."

The White House proposal to shrink HUD's antipoverty programs doesn't come in a vacuum. The administration has already pushed out thousands of agency employees and signaled more staff cuts to come. It's canceled contracts that support low-income housing, and targeted housing and community development programs at other agencies.

In a recent report on those moves, even before the White House's budget proposal came out, the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders warned of far-reaching consequences.

"These disruptions would ripple through the broader economy, reducing construction activity, limiting job creation, and potentially destabilizing housing finance markets that depend on the certainty and liquidity provided by federal programs," the report said.

Copyright 2025 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.