Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) praised Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner's new rule requiring proof of citizenship for Section 8 housing in a post to X (formerly Twitter).
Turner recently announced the ruling, saying, "No longer will illegal aliens be able to leave citizenship boxes blank or take advantage of HUD-funded housing, riding the coattails of hardworking American citizens."
Public housing authorities must conduct an audit to ensure that all residents are citizens or lawful permanent residents. As Turner described, "Currently, HUD only serves one out of four eligible families due, in part, to the lack of enforcement of the prohibition against federally funded assistance to illegal aliens."
Any public housing authorities that fail to audit will lose federal funding.
"Thank you, @SecretaryTurner! Americans shouldn't have been subsidizing housing for illegal aliens in the first place," Rep. Biggs posted to X, adding, "Now the House must pass my KAMALA Act to make sure the federal government can't bankroll states and localities that give housing assistance to illegal aliens."
Last September, Rep. Biggs introduced the Keeping Aid for Municipalities and Localities Accountable (KAMALA) Act, which contains two major provisions: The first adds language to the existing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) system to clarify that its benefits apply solely to American citizens and not illegal aliens, be they paroled or granted asylum.
The second similarly prohibits the Federal government's Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department from allocating these CDBG funds to states that offer housing assistance to noncitizens.
The Arizona Congressman has been a hardliner on illegal immigration, previously expressing support for using military bases as detainment centers in July during an appearance on Fox News.
"If you are an illegal alien and you are arrested in the United States, you are supposed to be detained until your status is determined, so I am comfortable with it," Biggs said.
