ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SECURES VICTORY IN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ATTACK ON FAIR HOUSING PROTECTIONS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SECURES VICTORY IN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S ATTACK ON FAIR HOUSING PROTECTIONS

September 08, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that he has secured relief from unlawful conditions the Trump administration attempted to place on Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) funding. Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the program provides funding to state and local agencies that enforce fair housing laws. In Illinois, the program supports the Illinois Department of Human Rights' work to protect Illinoisans from housing discrimination.

"The Trump administration's attempt to target this funding was part of its broader effort to subvert legal protections that combat discrimination and tear down the hard-fought progress we have made for civil rights," Raoul said. "I am pleased that our coalition defeated this attack on states' ability to combat housing discrimination under their own democratically enacted state laws. I will continue to fight for fair access to housing for all Americans and for the rule of law."

In March 2026, Raoul led a coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging unlawful conditions in HUD's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 FHAP Funding Guidance, which could have limited state and local agencies' ability to enforce their fair housing laws, including by restricting reimbursement for certain fair housing complaints and threatening agencies that enforce protections beyond those in federal law. Now, the Trump administration has conceded to the coalition's challenge, agreeing to dismiss the lawsuit after confirming that HUD would not seek to impose, implement or enforce the challenged conditions in the future and that the FY2025 guidance is no longer in effect. A letter from HUD also confirms the conditions will not apply to FY 2026 FHAP funding and that HUD does not plan to include them in future guidance.

Sixty years ago, Congress enacted the Fair Housing Act to address pervasive housing discrimination. Congress also created a robust partnership between HUD and state and local agencies, known as the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), to enforce this landmark civil rights law in tandem with state fair housing laws. The FHAP has had strong bipartisan support in Congress and stable funding since it was established in 1980.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led the March 2026 lawsuit with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Joining them were the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.