Public Housing and Section 8 rental assistance in America were created to provide a temporary helping hand to families during times of hardship, not to trap them in long-term dependency. Yet almost half of non-elderly, able-bodied households getting support from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) didn’t have a single person working in 2024. It’s time for a change.
We got here because well-intentioned federal policies drifted away from their original purpose, leaving many people stuck in subsidized housing for years, sometimes decades, while millions of families sit on waiting lists with no help at all.
HUD’s proposed rule aims to correct that drift by restoring a simple, commonsense principle: HUD housing assistance should encourage work, self-sufficiency, and upward mobility while keeping a strong safety net for the elderly and disabled. Under the Trump administration’s proposed regulation, no longer would able-bodied, able-minded individuals be allowed to waste away on welfare with no hope or dignity.
THE BORDER GETS THE ATTENTION WHILE FRAUDULENT GOVERNMENT BENEFITS BLEED TAXPAYERS DRY
Arkansas became the first state in the nation to bring work requirements to the forefront in state law after I, Governor Sanders, signed the Housing Welfare Reform Act of 2023 into law. This commonsense law ensures that an individual who is able to work is required to work, train, or volunteer if they’re living on the taxpayers’ dime. Public housing authorities, however, have not been permitted to require work or limit time under current rules. Without HUD’s proposed rule, Arkansas is unable to enforce the law on the books.
Public housing was never meant to be a hammock, but a springboard to a life of self-sufficiency. Federal housing assistance, as currently structured, disincentivizes work and leads to a long national waitlist for housing assistance for those who need a hand up.
Capable adults receiving assistance are staying longer and longer on welfare. Recent evidence presented to Congress shows that nearly 90% of able-bodied Section 8 voucher recipients will spend more than five years in subsidized housing, and half will spend more than 15 years. It is not uncommon for multiple generations of a family to live in subsidized housing over decades. We must break this hopeless cycle.
There is extensive real-world evidence supporting work requirements and/or time limits on public housing benefits. Across the country, nearly 40 Moving to Work housing agencies have tested work requirements or time limits, showing America that these programs can change lives.
This proposal would finally allow Arkansas to empower all public housing agencies and Section 8 residents in the state to move towards self-sufficiency, as the law intends.
Arkansas will set the example for more states to follow because the Trump administration is empowering state and local leaders who best understand their residents and communities to decide whether and how to implement these policies, within clear regulatory bounds. No longer will there be a one-size-fits-all mandate from Washington.
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HUD estimates that under our proposal, between 19,000 and 79,000 families nationally will move out of subsidized housing in the first year, opening doors for new families in need. This is a win-win situation. The families leaving assistance will earn more, contribute more to their own rent and stand on firmer financial ground, while the families finally getting assistance will receive the help they’ve been waiting on for years.
Most importantly, this is about dignity. Work is a pathway to meaning, independence, and stability. Study after study shows that prolonged unemployment erodes well-being, worsens health, decreases life expectancy and harms children’s prospects. By contrast, when adults work, families are healthier, communities are stronger, and futures are brighter. A rising tide lifts all boats
We believe in the potential of our fellow Americans. By restoring federal rental assistance to its intended role as temporary support, we can help more American families build brighter lives and better futures.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the 47th governor of Arkansas.
