Jesse Coburn
I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.
Have a Tip for a Story?
I welcome tips from anyone (especially government officials) about wrongdoing or injustice in the fields of housing and transportation.
What I Cover
I cover housing, transportation, cities and infrastructure. I’m tracking how the Trump administration reshapes policy at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation. My main focus is how these changes affect people who depend on those agencies for their safety or well-being, such as public housing residents, victims of housing discrimination and commuters of all types.
The topics that I’m looking into include highway expansions, restrictive zoning laws, the affordable housing shortage and the companies profiting from it, and the country's high rate of traffic injuries and deaths.
My Background
I joined ProPublica in 2024 after three years as an investigative reporter at Streetsblog. My series there on the black market for temporary license plates led to enacted or proposed laws in three states as well as civil penalties and criminal investigations.
Before that, I was a reporter at Newsday, where my stories on wrongdoing in Long Island local governments spurred investigations and reforms.
My reporting has received a George Polk Award, an IRE Award, a Sidney Award, a Deadline Club Award and other distinctions. I was also a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.
Federal Investigators Were Preparing Two Texas Housing Discrimination Cases — Until Trump Took Over
The government spent years probing allegations that a Dallas HOA created rules to kick poor Black people out and that Texas discriminated against minority residents in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, only to suddenly reverse course under Trump.
Representatives Demand Housing Agency Halt Any Cryptocurrency Experiments
Following reporting by ProPublica, three Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee have warned HUD against using crypto, which they said could be “dangerous, speculative, and harmful to working families.”
U.S. Housing Agency Considers Launching Crypto Experiment
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees billions in aid and insures more than a trillion dollars in mortgages, is pondering using the blockchain and a stablecoin. One HUD official derided it as “Monopoly money.”
DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination, Medical Details — Even Domestic Violence
While some agencies have resisted efforts by Elon Musk’s team to access confidential records, HUD has opened the door. The potential harm to privacy could be significant.
The Housing Loophole That Lets Wealthy Investors Raise Rents on Poor Tenants
As the U.S. struggles with a housing shortage, investors continue to exploit a gap in an affordable housing law to raise rents on 115,000 apartments. Congress has repeatedly failed to act.
Trump’s Pick to Lead Federal Housing Agency Has Opposed Efforts to Aid the Poor
As HUD secretary, Scott Turner would oversee billions in housing aid, but as a Texas state legislator he voted against protections for poor tenants and has called government assistance “one of the most destructive things for the family.”