Two attorneys from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development say they were dismissed just a week after filing a whistleblower complaint accusing the Trump administration of abandoning fair housing enforcement. The firings have sparked outrage, with the attorneys calling the move retaliation for speaking out and accusing the government of openly undermining civil rights protections.
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Attorneys Dismissed After Report
Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan, both working in HUD’s Office of Fair Housing, revealed they were fired on Monday. Their division enforces the Fair Housing Act of 1968, a cornerstone of civil rights law. The attorneys had co-authored a report to Senator Elizabeth Warren, warning that combating housing discrimination was “not a priority” for the administration. Both men argue their termination was direct retaliation.
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Retaliation Claims Made
Osadebe said his firing letter cited media interviews he had given to the New York Times and Washington Post. “This was purely for whistleblowing activity. There was nothing about conduct, performance, any of that,” he said. “They said, this is why we’re firing you, because you spoke out. They are as blatant as can be about it.” Heenan, still in his probationary period, was dismissed for “the disclosure of non-public information.”
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Silence From HUD Officials
The department’s press office has not responded to questions over the firings. The lack of comment has fueled accusations that HUD leadership, under Secretary Scott Turner, is deliberately suppressing internal dissent and avoiding public accountability over changes to its fair housing policies.
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Warren Condemns Firings
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate banking, housing, and urban affairs committee, strongly denounced the dismissals. “Donald Trump doesn’t want Americans to know that his administration is engaged in a systemic attack on their rights,” Warren said. She accused Trump and Turner of “turning their backs on the American people,” including families denied mortgages because of race and survivors of domestic violence needing protection.
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Legal Battle Intensifies
Before their dismissal, Osadebe and Heenan, alongside three colleagues, filed a lawsuit against Turner to block reassignments they argued would further weaken the Office of Fair Housing. The suit highlighted an ongoing effort to reduce staff and diminish enforcement power. The firings are now expected to complicate the legal dispute and may become part of broader claims of retaliation.
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Whistleblower Protections Questioned
Federal law protects government employees who report wrongdoing. Yet Heenan expressed shock at the brazenness of the move: “Although we knew we were taking a risk, I am still surprised that this administration would violate the whistleblower statute so blatantly.” He vowed to continue pushing back. “I’m not going to stop speaking out. I’m not going to stop fighting because these rights are just too damn important.”