HUD proposes time limits and work requirements for rental aid

Source: NPR

February 27, 2026 12:46 PM ET


A proposed rule by the Department of Housing and Urban Development would allow strict time limits and work requirements as a condition for rental subsidies, a move that critics say could put millions of people at risk of losing such aid amid record-high housing costs and homelessness.

The decision to impose new restrictions would be up to local housing authorities and private property owners who rent to people using a housing voucher, known as Section 8. Time limits could be as short as two years, and work requirements up to 40 hours a week. Those who are elderly or disabled – a majority of people with federal rental subsidies – would be exempt.

President Trump proposed a two-year limit in his White House budget last year, along with slashing rental aid by 40%, but Congress rejected that. This rule would bypass Congress, assuming it's finalized.

Housing Secretary Scott Turner has said repeatedly that he wants to help tenants get off federal aid and promote self-sufficiency. Last year, he and three other Cabinet members wrote a New York Times opinion piece calling on Congress to expand work requirements across safety net programs. They said an increasing share of public benefits are not going to the "truly needy," but to able-bodied adults who don't work.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/27/nx-s1-5728988/hud-proposes-time-limits-work-requirements-for-rental-aid