Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

Does the typical public housing tenant in the US stay in public housing 12 years?

Wisconsin Watch

By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch

13 June 2025 at 16:00

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

The median stay in public housing in the U.S. is four years, a 2024 study of U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department data found.

Median means half the tenants in public housing projects stayed more than four years, half stayed less.

The study, by researchers from the universities of Illinois and Kansas, covered 2000 to 2022 and 1 million public housing units.

The average stay was 14 years, pulled higher by elderly and disabled residents, who tend to stay longer.

Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, who represents part of eastern Wisconsin, said in May the average is 12 years.

HUD’s dataset on June 12 showed the average is 12 years. Median was not available.

President Donald Trump has proposed a two-year limit on federal rental assistance for “able-bodied adults.”

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers proposed more than doubling to $100 million credits available annually for Wisconsin low-income housing developments. Republicans drafting the state budget June 12 excluded that provision.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department: Participation, Transition, and Length of Stay in Federal Housing Assistance Programs
Forbes Breaking News: Glenn Grothman Condemns Federal Welfare System 'Filled With Horrible Incentives And Disincentives'
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department: Picture of Subsidized Households
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department: Picture of Subsidized Households — public housing, average months since moved in
NPR: The Trump administration is working on a plan for time limits on rental aid
U.S. Office of Management and Budget: Letter to Sen. Susan Collins
Bipartisan Policy Center: President Trump’s FY2026 Budget: Overview of Changes to Federal Housing Programs
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Summary of Governor's Budget Recommendations
Wisconsin Economic Development Association: Gov. Tony Evers Unveils 2025-27 Budget Proposal
Washington Examiner: It’s Time for Time Limits on Public Housing
American Enterprise Institute researcher Howard Husock: Email
Wisconsin Legislature Omnibus motion

Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz

Does the typical public housing tenant in the US stay in public housing 12 years? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Is the majority of federal government spending mandatory?

Wisconsin Watch

By: Tom Kertscher ／ Wisconsin Watch

20 March 2025 at 20:07

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

About 60% of federal spending is mandatory — appropriations are automatic.

About 27% is discretionary spending, and about 13% pays federal debt interest.

On mandatory spending, more than half is for Medicare and Social Security.

About 69 million people receive monthly Social Security retirement or disability payments. About 68 million get Medicare, which is health insurance for people 65 and older, and some people under 65 with certain conditions.

Discretionary spending requires annual approvals by Congress and the president. About half is for defense. The rest goes to programs such as transportation, education and housing.

Projected total federal spending in fiscal 2025 is $7 trillion, up about 58% from $4.45 trillion in fiscal 2019.

President Donald Trump pledged March 4 to balance the budget “in the near future.” But the federal debt is projected to grow about $2 trillion annually through 2035.

On March 12, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., said most federal government spending is mandatory.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

U.S. Treasury Department: How much has the U.S. government spent this year? (March 17, 2025)
USA Facts: How much of the federal budget is mandatory spending?
Axios: Behind the Curtain: Hard truths about Trump budget cuts
Congressional Budget Office: Mandatory Spending in Fiscal Year 2023: An Infographic
Social Security Administration: Fact Sheet
Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services: Medicare Monthly Enrollment
Medicare.gov: Parts of Medicare
U.S. Treasury Department: How much has the U.S. government spent this year?
Congressional Budget Office: Discretionary Spending in Fiscal Year 2023: An Infographic
U.S. Treasury Department: Treasury Bulletin December 2024
Vicki McKenna Show: Glenn Grothman interview, March 12, 2025
Congressional Budget Office: The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2025 to 2035
Axios: U.S. federal deficit soars to record $3.1 trillion in 2020
New York Times: Full Transcript of President Trump’s Speech to Congress
Reason: Trump Promised a Balanced Budget. Don't Believe It.

Is the majority of federal government spending mandatory? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.