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Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) has introduced bipartisan legislation to require accountability at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General to testify yearly before Congress. Prior to June, the last time an official from the Inspector General's office testified before the House of Representatives was in 2018.

De La Cruz authored the legislation following a committee hearing where HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, when questioned under oath, told the congresswoman she had not found a single instance of waste, fraud, or abuse. (Watch the testimony here…)

Secretary Fudge: “I wish someone would tell me where the waste, fraud, and abuse is.”

Rep. De La Cruz: "So you have not found any kind of waste, fraud, or abuse in your time there [at HUD]?"

Secretary Fudge: "No."

“Given the magnitude of federal dollars sent to HUD, the housing affordability discussion cannot be had effectively without HUD's commitment to being good stewards of our tax dollars," Congresswoman De La Cruz said. "To ensure that people in our communities who most need HUD assistance can get that assistance, it is imperative that we work to root out waste, fraud, and abuse where found. Oversight is the job of Congress, and this bill asserts that oversight.”