According to HUD’s own researchers, for over fifty years Democratic and Republican Administration leaders failed to address the root causes of the affordable housing crisis. That failure arguably includes not facilitating technologically available modern affordable housing at the historic scale which has, per various organizational estimates, costs the U.S. economy some $2 trillion dollars annually in lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This MHProNews facts-evidence-analysis (FEA) report explores the role the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS – see quote graphic A and B) could take in causing a pivot in the Trump Administration and/or in Congress by pointing out loudly and proudly the wisdom of enforcement of existing federal laws related to affordable housing and strengthening those laws in developing Congressional legislation.

Per their press release, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “We are ending the days of hiding fraud, abuse, and extremist activity behind complicated nonprofit arrangements. When bad actors misuse charitable structures, directors and officers should understand that transparency can lead to scrutiny, accountability, and liability under the law.”

“Tax-exempt status is not immunity from scrutiny,” said Treasury Assistant Secretary and Acting IRS Chief Counsel Ken Kies. “If an organization receives public funds or tax-deductible donations, it should be prepared to show who controls the money and where it goes.” While the charges filed against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) were the apparent backdrop to those remarks, they may hold a parallel implication for professionals involved in the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), or other nonprofits.

The recent AMAC financial literacy meeting with Sec. Bessent and key staff from Treasury and the IRS occurred in the wake of those charges and remarks (see Part II). Besides AMAC leadership, delegates and members of AMAC, including MHProNews’ L. A. “Tony” Kovach, were present. That said, what follows herein and below should not be construed to represent the views of AMAC. These are the findings of research by MHProNews which has been submitted to third-party artificial intelligence (AI) to test the accuracy of the facts, evidence and logical analysis (FEA) as shown.

 

 

From the report linked among the Sunday Weekly Headlines in Review (Part III) further below, the now late Doug Gorman said the following.

 As a retailer, I do not see any shortage of willing buyers for the homes that we build. We do experience a series of problems related to recent acts foisted upon us by the federal government.

 

REVISED
Table 1
Manufactured Home Production	National Totals	Average for years shown
1995-2000	2,033,545	338,924
2001-2025	2,333,138	93,326
Average Annual Deficit =		245,598
REVISED
Table 2		Cumulative 21st Century Deficit
21st Century Annual Deficit in MH Production	245598 x 25 =	6,139,950

 

Per another pull quote from the award-winning retailer and delegate to the Manufactured Housing Institute, the late Gorman.

Another theory being floated by some industry members is that a conspiracy is in play to undermine the effectiveness that the HUD Code provides and bring about its demise.  If that theory is true and if the conspirators have enough influence, market demand will not matter. I am not smart enough to know whether or not a conspiracy exists to destroy our industry. I would say that if it does exist, it is experiencing reasonable success.

There is an evidence-based case to be made that if the affordable housing crisis is measured in terms of millions of units needed nationally, that sharp drop in prior “inherently affordable manufactured housing”

This MHVille facts-evidence-analysis (FEA) is underway.

 

 

Part I. According to the Facts-Evidence-Analysis (FEA) of Google’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Powered Gemini input-inquiry process linked here.

 

Verification of Quotes and Institutional Oversight

The statements attributed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the IRS Chief Counsel align with a shifting federal focus toward nonprofit transparency and the prevention of charitable structures being used for non-charitable or “extremist” ends.

You are correct regarding the hierarchy: the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Therefore, the Treasury’s mission—maintaining economic growth, promoting financial security, and fostering improved governance—directly informs how the IRS monitors organizations like the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI).

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Comparison: SPLC vs. MHI Scrutiny

While the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and MHI are distinct entities, the “legal, ethical, and financial implications” you mentioned converge on the accuracy of their IRS Form 990 filings and the fulfillment of their stated missions.

• SPLC Context: The scrutiny involves whether nonprofit status is being used as a shield for activities that do not match the organization’s public-facing charitable “labels”.

• MHI Context: Scrutiny focuses on whether MHI’s claims of representing “all segments” of the industry are factual, or if their actions—specifically regarding the enforcement of “enhanced preemption” and energy standards—primarily benefit a few dominant consolidation-focused firms.

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The Economics of “Sabotage” and Lost Potential

The concept of “ubiquitous sabotage,” as explored in the works of Chowdhury and Gürtler, describes how resource denial or organizational distraction can be used to stifle competition. When applied to the manufactured housing industry:

1. Production Levels and Economic Impact

Past leadership, such as Chris Stinebert and Dick Jennison, identified production potential returning to the mid-to-late 1990s levels (approx. 370,000+ units) or even reaching 500,000 units annually.

• The current housing shortage in the U.S. (often cited between 4 to 6 million units) roughly mirrors the cumulative loss in production since the industry’s peak, suggesting that a healthy manufactured housing market could effectively bridge the national housing gap.

2. The Cavco IR Deck Anomaly

The removal of the slide stating that the lack of affordable housing costs the U.S. economy $2 trillion per year from Cavco’s Investor Relations deck is significant.

• Vexing vs. Revealing: If an industry leader and MHI member acknowledges a $2 trillion drag on the GDP but then stops highlighting it, critics suggest this points to a “Management by Objective” strategy where the “objective” is no longer industry growth, but rather market consolidation through restricted supply.

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Intersection: MHI, IRS Compliance, and Treasury Goals

Treasury Goal	Industry Reality (via MHI)	Potential Legal/Ethical Scrutiny
Promote Economic Growth	Production remains historically low despite high demand.	Is MHI acting as a barrier to the growth it claims to promote?
Integrity of Financial System	Claims on Form 990 regarding “representing all segments”.	Does MHI fulfill its tax-exempt purpose if it favors “Monopoly Tactics”?
Improved Governance	Inaction on “Enhanced Preemption” (HUD Code).	Is “inaction or distraction” a form of resource denial for smaller builders?

The “Sabotage 101” Connection

The intersection of these points suggests that if MHI’s “inaction” on key regulatory issues (like discriminatory energy standards) effectively denies resources or market access to independent businesses, it mirrors the Sabotage 101 tactics of Resource Denial. Under the new Treasury standards mentioned by Bessent, such “complicated arrangements” that result in industry stagnation while claiming to represent industry growth could lead to increased accountability and liability.

— MHProNews notes that a far more detailed thread with Copilot is provided in the postscript. —

 

Part II. Per LegiStorm, Athina Lawson at U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Public Affairs (Feb. 2026-), Senior Adviser, Public Affairs. Lawson, per LinkedIn, previously served as the Press Secretary for the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Lawson provided MHProNews the following on behalf of the Treasury on remarks and those in attendance at the financial literacy discussion.

Secretary Scott Bessent Statement on AMAC Roundtable Discussion:

“I enjoyed hosting members of the Association of Mature American Citizens for a meaningful discussion on the importance of financial education as part of Financial Literacy Month. Understanding how to make informed financial decisions unlocks opportunity for every American and their families and helps protect against from fraud and exploitation. In coordination with the IRS and thanks to President Trump and Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, increased education and fraud and scam detection efforts are ensuring tax relief reaches the right hands this filing season, delivering historic relief to over 34 million seniors and stopping abusive tax schemes that target older taxpayers.”

Treasury

Secretary Scott Bessent

Luke Pettit, Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions

Ken Kies, Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy

Tyler Curtis, Director of the Office of Consumer Policy

 

AMAC Members and Leadership

Pam Furrie, Arizona

Reverend Jim Simpson, Ohio

Gary Henderson, Georgia

Song Park, Virginia

L.A. “Tony” Kovach, Florida

Rebecca Weber, CEO, AMAC

Jennifer Bengston – VP, AMAC Action

Palmer Schoening, AMAC Action DC Team

Josie Gallagher – AMAC Action DC Team

David Kane, AMAC

— MHProNews notes that the above and the photos that follow were provided by Lawson, but the captions and commentary that follow are provided by MHProNews. —

 

 

 

 

AMAC Action delegates Song Park (VA) and Pam Furrie (AZ) shared examples of the benefits the new social security and small business deductions had for themselves and/or those they know. Park is a financial adviser.

AMAC Action delegate Kovach (FL) shared an account of an IRS audit under a prior administration and improved utility of the new IRS information plus the benefits under the Working Families Tax Cuts with Ken Kies, Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy. Kies indicated he would pass that account onto agency leadership.

AMAC CEO Weber indicated the organization’s appreciation for the meeting with Sec. Bessent and his team members. Weber stated AMAC’s interest in further developing a positive working relationship on behalf of seniors.

— —

Part III. The Sunday Weekly MHVille Headlines in Review

 

What’s New, Recent and Select from MHLivingNews

 

 

 

 

From Tim Connors, CSP and his Words of Wisdom