Two senior officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will resign at the end of the week, according to correspondence reviewed by HousingWire.
Both Peggy Bailey, senior advisor on rental assistance at HUD, and Meaghan Lynch, press secretary at HUD, announced Thursday they would be leaving the department.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the women chose to resign.
A HUD spokesperson responded a day after this article was published and said the department will “not comment on personnel matters.”
“Meaghan and Peggy have been amazing colleagues and integral members of the HUD team, and they will be greatly missed,” the HUD spokesperson added.
Bailey, who has served as a senior advisor for a little less than two years, announced her departure via Twitter.
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“I’ve learned so much and gained a renewed commitment to the work. More on next steps to come,” Bailey posted.
During her time at HUD, Bailey oversaw the housing choice voucher and public housing programs.
The programs run by Bailey have been a focus point of President Joe Biden’s administration, which currently is trying to solve the nation’s housing supply problem. Biden’s 2023 budget would allocate a hefty $32.1 billion to the housing choice voucher program and almost $9 billion to public housing programs.
Before HUD, Bailey worked as a member of the Biden-Harris transition team from November 2020 to January 2021. She also worked at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for five years. During her time there, Bailey served as the vice president for housing policy.
HUD’s press secretary, Lynch, announced her departure via email. Lynch said there will be a “new press secretary in the coming weeks.” Despite her assurance, it was not immediately clear whether Bailey or Lynch’s positions already have been filled.
Lynch served as HUD’s press secretary for a little more than a year. Before working at HUD, Lynch was the deputy communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Earlier Thursday, Politico reported Lynch is to join Airbnb next month as a public policy manager. A number of former Harris staffers now work at the company, according to the Politico report.
Industry insiders have suggested the resignations are an early indication some government employees are losing confidence in the current administration.
“Leaving two years into a presidential term is normal, but could be a sign that this administration may be a sinking ship,” an industry advisor said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a response from from a HUD official, which came in a day after after initial publication.
