Working People23 Sep 2025

Federal whistleblowers expose how Trump's HUD is abandoning vulnerable Americans

Federal whistleblowers are going public with an emergency message from within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to their formal complaint, under President Trump's administration, "HUD leadership has already violated the law" and taken actions that "will result in legal violations, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, and present a specific danger to public health and safety." The complaints were filed by four attorneys and staff workers at HUD'S Office of General Counsel and Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. In their first on-air appearance since going public with their allegations, Max speaks with attorneys and federal employees Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan about their whistleblower complaints and the "chaos" at Trump's HUD.

Guests:

Paul Osadebe is an attorney working in the federal government, a shop steward for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – Local 476, and a member of the Federal Unionists Network. Osadebe is one of the four employees within the Department of Housing and Urban Development who have filed formal whistleblower complaints through the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D – Massachusetts).
Palmer Heenan is an attorney working in the federal government, a rank-and-file member of AFGE – Local 476, and a member of the Federal Unionists Network. Heenan is one of the four employees within the Department of Housing and Urban Development who have filed formal whistleblower complaints through the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D – Massachusetts).

Additional resources:

Debra Kamin, The New York Times, "Trump appointees roll back enforcement of Fair Housing laws"
Federal Unionists Network website, BlueSky, and Instagram
AFGE – Local 476 website
Federal Unionists Network: HUD Whistleblowers Sound Alarm on Civil Rights (Report)
Federal Unionists Network: Join Us To Defend Public Services!

Credits

Studio Production: David Hebden
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

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