GHOST CHECKS: A new HUD report reveals billions in taxpayer dollars went to “questionable” rental assistance recipients under former President Biden — including tens of thousands who were already dead. The report found roughly 30,000 deceased tenants received payments, along with thousands of potential noncitizens.

A newly released financial review by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has raised serious questions about how billions of taxpayer dollars were distributed through federal rental assistance programs during the final year of the Biden administration. According to HUD’s Agency Financial Report for fiscal year 2025, roughly $5.8 billion of rental assistance — around 11 percent of total funds distributed — was classified as “questionable,” including payments that went to tens of thousands of deceased individuals and thousands of recipients who may not have met eligibility requirements.

In an internal cross-check of federal data, HUD identified approximately 30,000 people listed as deceased who continued to receive rental assistance payments or were still enrolled in federal housing support after their deaths. These “ghost checks” were found in all 50 states, with particularly high concentrations in New York, California, and Washington, D.C.

Of the flagged funds, a portion was tied to eligibility concerns that included deceased individuals as well as other questionable cases.
Potential Non-Citizen Recipients and Other Eligibility Issues
In addition to payments to deceased individuals, the HUD review identified thousands of recipients whose citizenship status could not be verified or who were classified as non-citizens but still received aid — despite federal eligibility restrictions for rental assistance that generally require U.S. citizenship or certain qualifying immigration statuses.