According to internal agency documents obtained by the Washington Post, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has drafted a proposal that calls for imposing stricter work requirements for low-income Americans who receiving housing subsidies, but that's not all.
Carson's proposal also calls for tripling the amount of rent that at least 4.5 million low-income families would be responsible for.
Currently, tenants generally pay 30 percent of their adjusted income toward rent or a public housing agency minimum rent -- which is capped at $50 a month for the poorest families. The administration’s legislative proposal sets the family monthly rent contribution at 35 percent of gross income or 35 percent of their earnings working 15 hours a week at the federal minimum wage. Under the proposal, the cap for the poorest families would rise to approximately $150 a month, three times higher than the current minimum.
This is a presidential regime that engineered a $1.5 trillion tax cut for corporations and wealthy individuals that has already showered banks, billionaires, and millionaires with a windfall of billions, but they're asking the poorest Americans (who got nothing from the tax cut) to pay more for basic necessities.
The good news is this proposal is dead on arrival. The sweeping changes Carson is calling for would require approval from Congress and would be subject to a possible filibuster in the Senate.