Manufactured Housing Institute says HUD Sec E. Scott Turner will Speak

Before diving into the headline topics, consider this. When you cover a subject day after day and have done so for years, it is only normal that a person will begin to see things that other may or may not catch. If you are a mechanic or nurse, a reporter or researcher, you learn by doing. You gain wisdom and experience in the doing. When you work with various artificial intelligence (AI) systems routinely like Gemini (Google), Copilot (Bing/Microsoft) and xAI's Grok for approaching two years, you begin to learn the quirks, strengths and weaknesses of each of those platforms. Grok, for example, can be more colorful in its expression that Gemini or Copilot. But each has its pluses and minuses, and each has a disclaimer that essentially says that AI can error. Quite so. People can error too. So, it is useful to discern what the agenda of any given writer may be, and what the tendencies of AI may be and double check for accuracy.

That said, what follows for this installment of this "Reality Check" series for this Patch is based upon the report by this author found linked below. There are similarities and differences between this report and that one.

https://www.manufacturedhomeli...

For newcomers and returning readers alike, some disclosures are warranted. First, this writer, my wife and family openly supported President Donald J. Trump three times in three successive elections. That doesn't mean that we have supported everything that President Trump did during his first term or is doing during his second term. However, given the alternative, it was an is obvious that Trump was the superior candidate between the two major parties (Democrats or Republicans) in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Among the areas that Trump could have done better in his first term and hopefully will do better in his second term will be on the pressing issue of housing affordability in general and the need for millions of more manufactured homes in particular.

According to those who know the president well, he is willing to listen to those who disagree with him, but he wants specifics. If the specifics make sense, Trump has and will pivot as a result, say insiders.

For specifics in brief, here is what xAI's Grok had to say about the MHI announcement.

Part I

Let’s dive into the backdated MHLivingNews article (MHLivingNews: MHI Announcement on HUD Secretary Turner), set to April 5, 2024, for your planned publication today, April 5, 2025. I’ll unpack why MHI’s invitation to HUD Secretary Scott Turner for their 2025 Congress & Expo smells like one-upmanship over MHARR, and how it reflects a pattern of style over substance—posturing without addressing core issues like enhanced preemption or competitive chattel lending. I’ll contrast this with MHARR’s consistent push for enforcing existing laws, and show how MHI’s approach seems to favor insider consolidation over organic growth, harming smaller businesses, consumers, taxpayers, and the broader housing market. I’ll keep this under 1000 words, link my results, and critically examine the establishment narrative as requested.

MHI’s Invitation to HUD Secretary Turner: One-Upmanship Over MHARR

The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) announced HUD Secretary Scott Turner as the keynote speaker for their 2025 Congress & Expo, a move MHLivingNews frames as a flashy gesture amid a struggling industry. On the surface, securing a high-profile figure like Turner signals MHI’s clout—HUD oversees manufactured housing regulation, after all. But dig deeper, and this looks like a calculated one-upmanship over the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), MHI’s smaller, scrappier rival.

MHARR has a long history of pressing HUD to enforce existing laws, notably the “enhanced preemption” provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA). Enhanced preemption allows HUD to override local zoning laws that block manufactured homes, a key barrier to expanding affordable housing. MHARR’s 2019 report (MHARR Zoning) begged MHI and state associations to sue for enforcement—HUD’s inaction, they argued, stifles production. MHI, despite its larger membership and budget, declined to join, as MHARR’s Danny Ghorbani noted in a 2023 Q&A (MHARR Q&A).

MHI’s Turner invite feels like a flex: “We’ve got HUD’s ear, not you.” Turner himself, in a 2020 MHI event, acknowledged regulatory burdens (MHProNews 2020), yet MHI’s announcement lacks any mention of pressing him on preemption or other systemic fixes. This isn’t collaboration—it’s a publicity stunt to outshine MHARR’s dogged advocacy, without committing to the hard fights MHARR champions.

Style Over Substance: MHI’s Head Fake

MHI’s statement, quoted by MHLivingNews, hypes Turner’s speech as a chance to “elevate manufactured housing” (MHI News). But it’s silent on two critical issues: enhanced preemption and competitive chattel lending. This omission screams style over substance—a head fake to create an “illusion of motion” while the industry stagnates.

• Enhanced Preemption: The MHIA’s preemption clause could unlock millions of new home sites by overriding zoning barriers. Pew’s 2024 report (Pew) estimates zoning reform could add 2-3M units. HUD’s failure to enforce this—despite Turner’s 2020 admission of red tape—keeps production low (103,314 units in 2024, HUD/IBTS). MHI’s silence on this in their Turner announcement suggests they’re not pushing HUD to act, despite the 7.3M-unit housing shortage (NLIHC, 2024).
• Chattel Lending: Most manufactured homes are financed as personal property (chattel loans), not real estate. The Duty to Serve (DTS) mandate (HERA 2008) requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to support MH lending, but Fannie’s MH Advantage program flopped—double-digit sales since 2018 (MHProNews 2021). Competitive chattel lending could slash rates (often 8-12% vs. 5% for mortgages, per CFPB 2023), making homes affordable for millions. MHI’s announcement doesn’t mention this either.

This isn’t oversight—it’s a pattern. MHI’s focus on optics (Turner’s speech, Gooch’s awards) over action mirrors their response to production data. MHARR shared February 2025’s flatline (8,131 units, down 0.5% from 2024, MHARR Jan 2025); MHI stayed mum (MHI News). It’s posturing without delivery—a head fake that keeps the status quo intact.

MHI Insiders, Consolidation, and the Cost of Inaction

MHI’s board is stacked with insiders from Clayton Homes, Cavco Industries, and ELS (MHI Board). These firms thrive while the industry shrinks—Clayton’s revenue hit $12B in 2023 (MarketWatch), and ELS insiders sold $1.4M in shares in 2024 (MHProNews 2024). Production, meanwhile, fell from 373,143 units in 1998 to 103,314 in 2024 (HUD/IBTS), far below the 500K potential Jennison cited (MHProNews 2019).

MHI’s inaction on preemption and DTS benefits these insiders. Zoning barriers limit new communities, so ELS and others buy existing ones, hiking rents (PESP 2024: 23% of MHC sales to investors, up from 13% pre-2019). Lack of chattel lending keeps smaller producers out, letting Clayton and Cavco dominate (Clayton’s “moat,” MHProNews 2024). This isn’t organic growth—it’s consolidation, and MHI’s silence on Turner addressing these issues suggests they’re fine with it.
MHARR, by contrast, consistently demands enforcement. Their 2023 DOE critique (MHARR DOE) and zoning push show a focus on systemic fixes that would help all players, not just the big ones. MHI’s Turner invite, lacking substance, looks like a distraction from their failure to match MHARR’s grit.

Who’s Harmed by the Status Quo?

MHI’s posturing hurts multiple stakeholders:

• Smaller Businesses: Independents can’t compete with Clayton’s scale or ELS’s MHC grabs. Production’s flatline (17,009 units YTD 2025, MHARR) starves their pipeline.
• Consumers: A 7.3M-unit shortage means families can’t afford homes. MH costs half as much as site-built (Census 2023), but zoning and lending barriers block access.
• Taxpayers: HUD’s inaction wastes public resources—10 years to approve multi-family MH (MHARR 2023) is inefficiency at its worst.
• Economy: Housing shortages cost $2T annually (Cavco’s Boor, MHProNews 2024). MH could ease this, if MHI pushed for real change.

Conclusion

MHI’s Turner invite is a one-up on MHARR—a flashy move to seem influential while dodging the hard issues. Their statement’s silence on enhanced preemption and chattel lending reveals a style-over-substance approach, benefiting insiders who consolidate (Clayton, ELS) rather than grow the industry organically. MHARR’s focus on enforcing laws like MHIA and DTS aims to unlock MH’s potential for all, not just the few. MHI’s head fake harms smaller businesses, consumers, taxpayers, and the economy, perpetuating a crisis their posturing can’t hide.

See the full report linked here.

Part II - Additional Information Plus Other Topics

In no particular order of importance are the following related items.

1)

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

President and CEO Mark Weiss, J.D., of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) told MHLivingNews the following about Sec. Turner's planned talk to MHI.

"Speeches are well and good. But this cannot and must not be a replay of the all talk and no results record that MHI had with HUD Secretary Ben Carson during President Trump's first term. As I recently wrote, the re-election of President Trump presents a rare opportunity to finally address and resolve the key bottlenecks that have suppressed industry production for far too long. Talk cannot become a substitute for firm and decisive action."

Grok referenced Mark Weiss' recent meeting with HUD Secretary Turner and related, see more on that linked below.

https://patch.com/florida/lake...

https://manufacturedhousingass...

2) When HUD Secretary Carson addressed the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) in Las Vegas, members of a resident group crashed the event to apparently protest MHI and Dr. Carson's presence there. So, thus the headline question. Will there be a similar protest this time at the MHI meeting in Orlando?

To be clear, this writer is NOT endorsing MHAction. But it would not be a surprise of MHI has failed to inform HUD Secretary Turner of what might happen based upon the clear example of what MHAction did to protest MHI and prior HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

3) It should be noted that MHAction has historically been funded by the Tides. The Tides in turn has been funded by nonprofits linked to leftistbillionaires such as Warren Buffett and George Soros, both prominent Democratic supporters for years.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

https://www.manufacturedhomeli...

4) While MHAction apparently gets funding from leftist billionaires that have their own agendas, that doesn't mean that all that they are protesting is incorrect. Several (not all) of MHI's prominent members have been understandably accused of predatory behavior against their own residents. What should be understood by outsiders looking into the world of manufactured housing is that the behavior of some of MHI's "predatory" and "consolidation" focused members is not reflective of all manufactured home community owners (sometimes called "mobile home parks"), producers, or retailers. As with any profession, there are good, bad, and 'meh' actors.

5) That said, without millions of more manufactured homes, the affordable housing crisis can't be solved. Will HUD Sec. Turner take the necessary steps to see to it that federal laws are robustly enforced? Will Sec. Turner have HUD staff recommend to the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that predatory members of MHI should be probed and taken to court as is needed for charges of market manipulation that harms consumers, taxpayers, investors, and land-lease community residents?

Time will tell.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

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L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing. ###

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