Working People7 Okt 2025

Federal whistleblowers illegally fired after exposing 'chaos' at Trump's HUD

Last week, The Real News Network published a bombshell interview with two federal whistleblowers working in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Max spoke with Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan, two attorneys in HUD's Office of Fair Housing, about the "chaos" that has upended HUD under the new Trump administration, and the vulnerable Americans who are being systematically abandoned as a result. Then, on Monday, Sept. 29, exactly one week after going public, Osadebe and Heenan were fired in what the Federal Unionist Network describes as "a stunning act of illegal retaliation." In this urgent followup interview, we speak once again with Osadebe and Heenan about the conditions of their firing, and what this attack on whistleblowers means for the future of government transparency and the future of HUD itself.

Guests:

Paul Osadebe is a shop steward for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – Local 476, a member of the Federal Unionists Network, and, until recently, an attorney working in the federal government. Osadebe is one of the four employees within HUD who have filed formal whistleblower complaints through the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D – Massachusetts). Osadebe was fired for his whistleblowing on Sept. 29.
Palmer Heenan is a rank-and-file member of AFGE – Local 476, a member of the Federal Unionists Network, and, until recently, an attorney working in the federal government. 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). Heenan was fired for his whistleblowing on Sept. 29.

Additional resources:

Debra Kamin, The New York Times, "Trump appointees roll back enforcement of Fair Housing laws"
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "EXCLUSIVE: Federal whistleblowers expose how Trump's HUD is abandoning vulnerable Americans"
Federal Unionists Network: "BREAKING: HUD whistleblowers fired after exposing civil rights violations"
Federal Unionists Network website, BlueSky, and Instagram
AFGE – Local 476 website

Credits:

Studio Production / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

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