FIRST ON FOX: Trump admin freezes out Minnesota of the Caribbean over alleged hurricane-aid abuses
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration suspended a U.S. territory's housing-finance authority from receiving further federal funding after the Department of Housing and Urban Development cited years of alleged financial...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration suspended a U.S. territory's housing-finance authority from receiving further federal funding after the Department of Housing and Urban Development cited years of alleged financial mismanagement, dire audit findings and the conviction of a former executive in a disaster-recovery contracting scheme. The suspension over alleged waste and abuse at the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (VIHFA) comes as HUD Secretary Scott Turner, a member of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, ramps up the administration's scrutiny of federal grant recipients following a series of high-profile investigations nationwide. "The Trump administration is changing the game when it comes to who we entrust with taxpayer dollars. Organizations riddled with corruption , mismanagement and crime will no longer be allowed to squander billions," Turner, a former NFL cornerback, told Fox News Digital. TIM WALZ BECOMES GOP PUNCHLINE IN SWEEPING NEW WAR ON WELFARE FRAUD "[VIHFA] officials cannot be allowed to prioritize kickbacks over helping families recover from disasters. I promised that HUD would be a faithful steward of the American people’s hard-earned money, and we are keeping that promise." Turner said the suspension is "effective immediately," as the HUD chief's deputy Andrew Hughes fired off a 13-page letter to VIHFA official Dayna Clendinen laying out HUD’s findings and alerting that they are barred from future federal procurement while an investigation takes place. When approached for comment, a representative who picked up the phone at VIHFA on Monday directed Fox News Digital to a full voicemail box. Fox News Digital then reached out via VIHFA's contact page for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., and Democratic Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan's office for additional comment. VANCE REFERS TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER STATE'S ALLEGED FRAUD In the l…