DES MOINES, Iowa - A housing bill on Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds' desk could face a court fight from the federal government.
"If they want to get into a fight about it, we're ready to fight them about it," said newly appointed Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marsha Fudge on MSNBC Wednesday evening. Fudge is a member of President Biden’s cabinet.
The bill before Governor Reynolds lets landlords deny housing to renters who use low-income federal vouchers such as Section 8.
Secretary Fudge said she would recommend a federal challenge if the bill is signed into law.
“It is a discussion I would need to have with the Department of Justice, but I would clearly believe that we are within our rights to demand that these communities cooperate with what we are doing,” said Fudge in MSNBC.
Reynolds has not made a public comment about the bill as of Friday morning.
She backs an expansion of affordable housing in Iowa and has endorsed a bill in the legislature to give tax credits to developers of low-income housing. The bill passed out of committee in the House in early February, but has not advanced since then.
The bill on her desk does away with city ordinances that prohibit landlords from discriminating against renters who use the vouchers.
It gives those cities - Des Moines, Iowa City and Marion - almost two years to adjust to the change in regulation.
Republicans say the legislation prevents landlords from being forced to accept federal vouchers while Democrats say it amounts to discrimination against low-income renters.