A single internal memo signed on 22 May 2026 has effectively ended nearly two decades of federal housing protection for disabled Americans who rely on emotional support animals, putting veterans with PTSD among the most vulnerable people in its path.
The enforcement guidance, signed by FHEO Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor and effective immediately, permanently cancels HUD's prior guidance on emotional support animals and instructs staff to stop pursuing housing complaints from tenants whose animals have not been individually trained to perform disability-related tasks. The Fair Housing Act itself has not changed: Congress has not acted, and no court has ruled that untrained ESAs are excluded from housing protections. According to the Disability Rights Education and Defence Fund (DREDF), HUD has simply chosen to stop enforcing the law for this group of disabled tenants.
