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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe, and I'm here with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Saturday, April 5th.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for joining us, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Today, we're talking about a major effort to reverse former President Biden's lax approach to housing assistance. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner joins us to explain how HUD is partnering with DHS to remove illegal aliens from public housing and block access to taxpayer-backed FHA loans.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Secretary Turner, thanks for making the time to talk to us today.
--:-- Scott Turner: Thank you, Georgia. It's great to be here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Let's start with the basics. What's driving this effort, and how does it fit into the broader context of President Trump's policies?
--:-- Scott Turner: Well, President Trump campaigned on tariffs, and he's an America-first leader. He cares about American people and fair trade. The Liberation Day tariffs are a key part of this effort to set America free from the grip of other foreign global economies.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big topic. Secretary Turner, can you walk us through how the Liberation Day tariffs will work and what impact they'll have on the economy?
--:-- Scott Turner: Sure. The tariffs are designed to promote fair trade and protect American industries. They'll help level the playing field and ensure that American businesses can compete on a level footing with foreign competitors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I see. And how does this relate to the effort to remove illegal aliens from public housing?
--:-- Scott Turner: Well, the Biden administration's lax approach to immigration allowed millions of people to enter the country without proper documentation. This put a strain on public housing and taxpayer-backed FHA loans. Our effort is to reverse that and ensure that American taxpayer dollars are used to support American citizens, not illegal aliens.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big challenge. Secretary Turner, can you tell us more about the partnership between HUD and DHS and how it will work to remove illegal aliens from public housing?
--:-- Scott Turner: Yes. We've signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DHS to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are used to support American citizens in HUD-funded housing. We're working together to identify and remove illegal aliens from public housing and block access to taxpayer-backed FHA loans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I understand there are about 9 million residents in public and subsidized housing. Do you know how many of those are illegal aliens?
--:-- Scott Turner: We don't know the exact number, but we do know that 59% of illegal alien families use at least one of the welfare services in our country, which costs us about $42 billion a year.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a staggering number. Secretary Turner, how do you plan to address this issue and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used to support American citizens?
--:-- Scott Turner: We're putting financial controls in place and improving information sharing between local and federal agencies. We're also working with DHS to identify and remove illegal aliens from public housing and block access to taxpayer-backed FHA loans.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I see. And what about the FHA process? How does it work for illegal aliens, and how will this change under the new administration?
--:-- Scott Turner: Under the Biden administration, illegal aliens were able to use federal taxpayer resources to purchase homes through the FHA program. We're removing the non-permanent residence category, which was used by the Biden administration to allow this.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big change. Secretary Turner, can you tell us more about the impact of this change and how it will affect American citizens?
--:-- Scott Turner: We're working to ensure that all FHA mortgages go to American citizens, not illegal aliens. We're also improving data collection and analysis to identify and remove ineligible borrowers from the program.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I understand there are about 750,000 borrowers in fiscal year 24 with FHA mortgages. Do you know how many of those are illegal aliens?
--:-- Scott Turner: We don't know yet, but we're working to identify and remove ineligible borrowers from the program.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a big task. Secretary Turner, can you tell us more about the role of the Department of General Services (DOG) in this effort?
--:-- Scott Turner: We have a DOG task force at HUD, and we're working with them to improve data collection and analysis, as well as to identify and remove ineligible borrowers from the FHA program.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I see. And finally, Secretary Turner, what message do you want to convey to our listeners about this effort and the importance of putting American citizens first?
--:-- Scott Turner: I want to assure our listeners that we're committed to putting American citizens first and using taxpayer dollars to support American citizens, not illegal aliens. We're working hard to ensure that our efforts are transparent, accountable, and effective in achieving our goals.
--:-- John Bickley: Secretary Turner, thank you for joining us today and sharing your insights on this important issue.
--:-- Scott Turner: Thank you, John. It's been a pleasure.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And that's all for today's episode of Morning Wire. Thank you for joining us.
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--:-- Host (Georgia Howe): Don't forget to subscribe to Morning Wire for daily coverage of the latest developments in politics, culture, education, sports, and more. Wake up with Morning Wire and get the facts first on the news you need to know.
