Civic research and planning at operating speed.
Context
On March 16, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President JD Vance with FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson as vice chair. The task force targets fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs, including housing. TBC has spent a year building the most comprehensive accountability package on Seattle's homelessness-industrial complex. This is our opening.
The Burnham Civic
burnhamcivic.org | operations@burnhamcivic.org | (855) 528-1776
March 17, 2026
The Honorable JD Vance
Chairman, Task Force to Eliminate Fraud
Office of the Vice President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
RE: Seattle/King County Regional Homelessness Authority, Fraud, Waste & Abuse in Federal Benefit Programs
Dear Mr. Vice President,
I am writing on behalf of The Burnham Civic (TBC), a civic accountability organization based in Seattle, Washington. We are requesting that the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud examine the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) as a case study in systemic fraud, waste, and abuse of federal housing and homelessness funds.
The problem is documented.
The Washington State Auditor's Office flagged $37 million in accounting errors at KCRHA. The agency has cycled through three CEOs in four years. Homelessness outcomes have worsened every year since KCRHA's formation in 2021, despite annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding exceeding $60 million. The Seattle Housing Authority, which receives $458.5 million annually and operates under a Moving to Work waiver extended through 2038, carries $154.5 million in "Program Operations & Administration" that has never been subject to meaningful disclosure.
TBC has the evidence.
Over the past year, our organization has built a comprehensive accountability package:
- A data inventory of 60+ datasets across KCRHA, SHA, HSD, SPD, SFD, and King County
- Seven agency accountability briefs with over 70 targeted Public Records Act requests
- Documented governance failures across 10 city commissions ($3.4 million in annual waste)
- A federal funding roadmap identifying 11 streams and $3.8 million in Year 1 recoverable or redirectable funds
What we are requesting:
- That the Task Force receive a briefing from TBC on KCRHA and SHA as a priority case study
- That Seattle/King County be included in any initial audit or investigation cycle under the Executive Order
- That TBC serve as a local execution partner for Task Force operations in the Pacific Northwest. Our organization has the data infrastructure, public records expertise, and ground-level intelligence to support investigations from intake through resolution.
I am not writing to observe from the sidelines. I built TBC to solve exactly this problem, and I am prepared to commit fully to the Task Force's mission in whatever capacity is most useful. This work is personal to me as a citizen of Seattle who has watched hundreds of millions in federal funds produce worsening outcomes for the people they were meant to serve.
Respectfully,
Jack Walsh
Founder, The Burnham Civic
operations@burnhamcivic.org
(855) 528-1776
A version of this letter was also sent to Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, Vice Chairman of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580.