Jennifer Ludden
@jenniferludden.bsky.social
NPR reporter covering housing, homelessness, poverty and inequality. On Signal at jenniferludden.20
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
SNAP, the country's largest anti-hunger program, dates back to the Great Depression and has never been disrupted this way. Most recipients are seniors, families with kids, and those with disabilities. n.pr/48PNNIt
'Uncharted territory': Ongoing shutdown threatens food aid for 42 million people
SNAP, the country's largest anti-hunger program, dates back to the Great Depression and has never been disrupted this way. Most recipients are seniors, families with kids, and those with disabilities.
n.pr
October 24, 2025 at 12:49 PM
SNAP, the country's largest anti-hunger program, dates back to the Great Depression and has never been disrupted this way. Most recipients are seniors, families with kids, and those with disabilities. n.pr/48PNNIt
Chronic homelessness is at a record high, but there's a shortage of housing, rehab and mental health treatment. This ambitious program in Utah is finding a way to provide all that. @npr.org
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...
An unusual 'village' aims to help people leave long-term homelessness for good
Chronic homelessness is at a record high, but there's a shortage of housing, rehab and mental health treatment. One ambitious program in Utah is finding a way to offer all that plus jobs.
www.npr.org
October 7, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Chronic homelessness is at a record high, but there's a shortage of housing, rehab and mental health treatment. This ambitious program in Utah is finding a way to provide all that. @npr.org
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
In one of the country's priciest housing markets, Utah's leaders worry young people are shut out from building wealth. But despite new incentives, few developers are signing on to build smaller homes.
Starter homes are scarce, so Utah set a target to build more. Here's how it's going
In one of the country's priciest housing markets, Utah's leaders worry young people are shut out from building wealth. But despite new incentives, few developers are signing on to build smaller homes.
n.pr
September 2, 2025 at 11:23 AM
In one of the country's priciest housing markets, Utah's leaders worry young people are shut out from building wealth. But despite new incentives, few developers are signing on to build smaller homes.
Latino residents in DC told me they welcome a crackdown on crime, but are upset at seeing people snatched off the streets.
www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
Latino residents of D.C. neighborhood feel they are paying the price for Trump's "crime emergency"
Residents say they support the goal of reducing violent crime. But after seeing teams of federal agents sweep in to arrest people off the street some are afraid to venture outside.
www.npr.org
August 22, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Latino residents in DC told me they welcome a crackdown on crime, but are upset at seeing people snatched off the streets.
www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
The Trump administration wants to allow time limits on rental aid. A few places can do that already and the track record is mixed. www.npr.org/2025/06/07/n...
Should federal rental aid come with a time limit? Here's how it works in one place
The Trump administration wants to allow a cutoff date for housing subsidies. The plan is deeply controversial, but Delaware offers a potential model for success.
www.npr.org
June 7, 2025 at 11:25 AM
The Trump administration wants to allow time limits on rental aid. A few places can do that already and the track record is mixed. www.npr.org/2025/06/07/n...
My story on big changes for rental aid on the works.
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration wants to limit the amount of time people can get federal rental subsidies and add work requirements as a condition of funding, according to an internal document seen by NPR.
The Trump administration is working on a plan for time limits on rental aid
A housing agency rule would also allow work requirements. Supporters say a time limit would help spread limited funds to more people, but critics warn it would leave some homeless.
n.pr
June 4, 2025 at 9:46 PM
My story on big changes for rental aid on the works.
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
The Democratic members of an independent agency dedicated to protecting Americans from dangerous products and issuing recalls and safety warnings were fired by President Trump via an overnight email.
Trump fires all 3 Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission
The Consumer Product Safety Commission works to protect Americans from dangerous products and issuing recalls and warnings. It's the latest attempt by Trump to exact control over independent agencies.
www.npr.org
May 9, 2025 at 6:39 PM
The Democratic members of an independent agency dedicated to protecting Americans from dangerous products and issuing recalls and safety warnings were fired by President Trump via an overnight email.
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
The Trump administration has tightened its control over the independent agency responsible for overseeing America's nuclear reactors, and it is considering an executive order that could further erode its autonomy.
@gbrumfiel.bsky.social scoops: www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
@gbrumfiel.bsky.social scoops: www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
Trump tightens control of independent agency overseeing nuclear safety
NPR has learned that rules must now be vetted by the White House and that the administration is drafting an executive order that could loosen radiation limits.
www.npr.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The Trump administration has tightened its control over the independent agency responsible for overseeing America's nuclear reactors, and it is considering an executive order that could further erode its autonomy.
@gbrumfiel.bsky.social scoops: www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
@gbrumfiel.bsky.social scoops: www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
Trump's administration said they want tariffs to boost U.S. manufacturing, and most Americans want more factory jobs here. But what makes us nostalgic for factory work?
Americans still dream about factory jobs. Can they be brought back?
Trump's administration said they want tariffs to boost US manufacturing, and most Americans want more factory jobs here. But what makes us nostalgic for factory work?
www.npr.org
May 9, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Trump's administration said they want tariffs to boost U.S. manufacturing, and most Americans want more factory jobs here. But what makes us nostalgic for factory work?
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
big scoop from @jjoffeblock.bsky.social + @stphnfwlr.com: USDA is demanding states hand over personal data of SNAP recipients — including SSNs, addresses & citizenship status. Advocates worry the data could be used to enable deportation & mass surveillance.
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
USDA, DOGE demand states hand over personal data about food stamp recipients
The Department of Agriculture is demanding sensitive data from states about more than 40 million food stamp recipients, as DOGE is amassing data for immigration enforcement.
www.npr.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:04 PM
big scoop from @jjoffeblock.bsky.social + @stphnfwlr.com: USDA is demanding states hand over personal data of SNAP recipients — including SSNs, addresses & citizenship status. Advocates worry the data could be used to enable deportation & mass surveillance.
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
A federal judge in San Francisco appeared ready to temporarily block the Trump administration's sweeping overhaul of the federal government.
Federal judge appears likely to temporarily halt Trump's sweeping government overhaul
A federal judge in San Francisco appeared ready to temporarily block the Trump administration's sweeping overhaul of the federal government.
www.npr.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:05 PM
A federal judge in San Francisco appeared ready to temporarily block the Trump administration's sweeping overhaul of the federal government.
Among the many whose lives have been disrupted by Trump administration cuts, young adults who’d chosen community service.
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
Trump's gutting of AmeriCorps hits hard, for both volunteers and communities
The Trump administration slashed funding for the national service agency and fired most of its staff. 32,000 people, mostly young adults, were forced to stop work immediately.
www.npr.org
May 9, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Among the many whose lives have been disrupted by Trump administration cuts, young adults who’d chosen community service.
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...
Congress will decide. But housing aid takes a major hit in the White House budget request. www.npr.org/2025/05/02/n...
Trump budget would slash rental aid by 40% -- and let states fill the gap if they want
The proposal would cut off rental subsidies after two years for able-bodied adults. Advocates warn if enacted, the White House plan would tip many low-income renters over the edge into homelessness.
www.npr.org
May 2, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Congress will decide. But housing aid takes a major hit in the White House budget request. www.npr.org/2025/05/02/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
My latest @npr.org story with Marisa Peñaloza, Kyna Uwaeme and Brent Jones:
For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration’s workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air
For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration’s workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air
Federal work shaped a Black middle class. Now it's destabilized by Trump's job cuts
For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration's workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air.
www.npr.org
April 27, 2025 at 10:08 AM
My latest @npr.org story with Marisa Peñaloza, Kyna Uwaeme and Brent Jones:
For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration’s workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air
For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration’s workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism.
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," -- Steven Levitsky, Harvard.
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," -- Steven Levitsky, Harvard.
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism
Most — but not all — political scientists are deeply troubled by the president's attempts to expand executive power, according to a national survey.
www.npr.org
April 22, 2025 at 6:20 PM
A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism.
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," -- Steven Levitsky, Harvard.
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," -- Steven Levitsky, Harvard.
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
Workers who track data on car crashes, drownings, traumatic brain injury, falls in the elderly, and other perils lost their jobs. Advocates worry life-saving work will stop.
With CDC injury prevention team gutted, 'we will not know what is killing us'
Workers who track data on car crashes, drownings, traumatic brain injury, falls in the elderly, and other perils lost their jobs. Advocates worry life-saving work will stop.
www.npr.org
April 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Workers who track data on car crashes, drownings, traumatic brain injury, falls in the elderly, and other perils lost their jobs. Advocates worry life-saving work will stop.
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
Need Earth Day optimism? Here are some environmental do-gooders in your backyard
Need Earth Day optimism? Here are some environmental do-gooders in your backyard
At a time when communities feel fractured, here's a look at online communities taking a pragmatic approach to changing the world for the better.
www.npr.org
April 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Need Earth Day optimism? Here are some environmental do-gooders in your backyard
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
NEW: In agency after agency, the U.S. government is losing its capacity to measure how American society is functioning, making it much harder to gauge the nature and scale of the problems we are facing and the effectiveness of policies.
By @alecmac.bsky.social
By @alecmac.bsky.social
Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More
By slashing teams that gather critical data, the administration has left the federal government with no way of understanding if policies are working — and created a black hole of information whose con...
www.propublica.org
April 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
NEW: In agency after agency, the U.S. government is losing its capacity to measure how American society is functioning, making it much harder to gauge the nature and scale of the problems we are facing and the effectiveness of policies.
By @alecmac.bsky.social
By @alecmac.bsky.social
HUD is looking for a smaller, cheaper headquarters building, part of a wider push to shrink federal real estate. www.npr.org/2025/04/17/n...
As Trump jettisons its staff, HUD puts its D.C. headquarters up for sale
The federal housing agency says its 1968 building faces more than $500 million in deferred maintenance. It also says current staff take up only half the space.
www.npr.org
April 17, 2025 at 9:15 PM
HUD is looking for a smaller, cheaper headquarters building, part of a wider push to shrink federal real estate. www.npr.org/2025/04/17/n...
Trump targeted this homeless agency last month, and this week all its staff were put on leave. www.npr.org/2025/04/16/n...
Trump administration has gutted an agency that coordinates homelessness policy
All staff were put on leave at the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Congress created the entity in 1987 and, among other things, it helped drive down veterans homelessness.
www.npr.org
April 16, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Trump targeted this homeless agency last month, and this week all its staff were put on leave. www.npr.org/2025/04/16/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
HUD had a similarly empty booth at the American Planning Association conference in Denver last weekend.
April 5, 2025 at 4:05 AM
HUD had a similarly empty booth at the American Planning Association conference in Denver last weekend.
DOGE froze money to upgrade hundreds of aging affordable housing properties around the country. Here’s what that means for people at one of them. www.npr.org/2025/04/06/n...
For these seniors, DOGE's affordable housing pause means suffering longer without AC
The Trump administration froze funding for a program to upgrade aging low-income housing and make it energy efficient. The move threatens hundreds of projects around the country.
www.npr.org
April 6, 2025 at 11:42 AM
DOGE froze money to upgrade hundreds of aging affordable housing properties around the country. Here’s what that means for people at one of them. www.npr.org/2025/04/06/n...
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
NPR talked to the families of four men believed to be in El Salvador. None of them had a serious criminal record in the U.S. Only some had been charged with illegal entry. Three
Families of deported Venezuelans dispute gang claims after deportations under Alien Enemies Act
NPR talked to the families of four men believed to be in El Salvador. None of them had a serious criminal record in the U.S. Only some had been charged with illegal entry. Three had signed their volun...
www.npr.org
March 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
NPR talked to the families of four men believed to be in El Salvador. None of them had a serious criminal record in the U.S. Only some had been charged with illegal entry. Three
Reposted by Jennifer Ludden
Already, lower courts have found President Trump's removal of Democratic members of independent agencies to be unlawful. The Trump administration has appealed.
How Trump's firings could upend a 90-year-old Supreme Court ruling limiting his power
Already, lower courts have found President Trump's removal of Democratic members of independent agencies to be unlawful. The Trump administration has appealed.
www.npr.org
March 21, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Already, lower courts have found President Trump's removal of Democratic members of independent agencies to be unlawful. The Trump administration has appealed.