Federal whistleblowers expose how Trump's HUD is abandoning vulnerable Americans

Federal whistleblowers expose how Trump's HUD is abandoning vulnerable Americans

Author: Working People September 23, 2025 Duration: 42:18

Federal whistleblowers are going public with an emergency message from within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to their formal complaint, under President Trump's administration, "HUD leadership has already violated the law" and taken actions that "will result in legal violations, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, and present a specific danger to public health and safety." The complaints were filed by four attorneys and staff workers at HUD'S Office of General Counsel and Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. In their first on-air appearance since going public with their allegations, Max speaks with attorneys and federal employees Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan about their whistleblower complaints and the "chaos" at Trump's HUD.

Guests:

  • Paul Osadebe is an attorney working in the federal government, a shop steward for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – Local 476, and a member of the Federal Unionists Network. Osadebe 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).
  • Palmer Heenan is an attorney working in the federal government, a rank-and-file member of AFGE – Local 476, and a member of the Federal Unionists Network. 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).

Additional resources:

Credits

  • Studio Production: David Hebden
  • Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

There’s a conversation happening about the economy, politics, and culture, but too often the actual voices of the people who keep everything running are absent. Working People changes that. This is a place where the lived experience of the working class in modern America takes center stage. Produced in partnership with In These Times magazine and The Real News Network, each episode is built around a candid interview with someone from the vast and varied landscape of the American workforce. You’ll hear from teachers, factory workers, service industry employees, caregivers, and many others, each sharing the unvarnished details of their daily reality. Conversations naturally unfold to cover not just the specifics of their jobs, but the broader context of their lives-their personal histories, their political views, the dynamics within their families, and the unique blend of satisfaction and struggle that defines their world. The Working People podcast doesn’t offer abstract analysis; it provides a direct, human connection to the stories that collectively shape our society. It’s about understanding the hopes, the frustrations, and the resilience that are woven into the fabric of working-class life today. By listening, you get a genuine portrait of the people whose labor is so often discussed, yet whose own narratives are so rarely heard in such depth.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Working People
Podcast Episodes
Workers take on Kaiser Again, Strike for a Fair Contract in SoCal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:30
On Monday, Oct 21, 2400 behavior health workers at Kaiser Permanente's Southern California locations walked off the job in their ongoing struggle for a fair contract. Over the summer, negotiations between the health syst…
Alec Plant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:07
Two years ago, workers from several different Trader Joe's grocery stores joined the wave of unionization efforts spreading across the country. Workers in Hadley, Massachusetts, made history in 2022 by not only becoming…
When Work Inspires Art: Labor Poet George Fish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:50
While Max was inside the Labor Notes conference this past April, attending panels and sharing space with intelligent, hard working organizers, Mel was wandering the conference grounds outside, meeting folks and talking a…