Where any Federal agency has funds for the provision of housing in connection with national-defense activities it may, in its discretion, make transfers of those funds, in whole or in part, to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the funds so transferred shall be available for, but only for, any or all of the objects and purposes of and in accordance with all the authority and limitations contained in subchapters II to VII of this chapter, and for administrative expenses in connection therewith.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, whether relating to the acquisition, handling, or disposal of real or other property by the United States or to other matters, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, with respect to any property acquired or constructed under the provisions of subchapters II to VII of this chapter, is authorized by means of Government personnel, selected qualified private agencies, or public agencies (a) to deal with, maintain, operate, administer, and insure; (b) to pursue to final collection by way of compromise or otherwise, all claims arising therefrom; (c) to rent, lease, exchange, sell for cash or credit, and convey the whole or any part of such property and to convey without cost portions thereof to local municipalities for street or other public use: Provided, That any such transaction shall be upon such terms, including the period of any lease, as may be deemed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to be in the public interest: Provided further, That the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall fix fair rentals, on projects developed pursuant to subchapters II to VII of this chapter, which shall be based on the value thereof as determined by him, with power during the emergency, in exceptional cases, to adjust the rent to the income of the persons to be housed, and that rentals to be charged for Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel shall be fixed by the Departments of the Army, Air Force, and Navy: Provided further, That any lease authorized hereunder shall not be subject to the provisions of section 1302 of title 40. As used in this section the term “local municipalities” shall include the District of Columbia.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall pay from rentals annual sums in lieu of taxes to any State and/or political subdivision thereof, with respect to any real property acquired and held by him under subchapters II to VII of this chapter, including improvements thereon. The amount so paid for any year upon such property shall approximate the taxes which would be paid to the State and/or subdivision, as the case may be, upon such property if it were not exempt from taxation, with such allowance as may be considered by him to be appropriate for expenditure by the Government for streets, utilities, or other public services to serve such property. As used in this section the term “State” shall include the District of Columbia.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the acquisition by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of any real property pursuant to subchapters II to VII of this chapter shall not deprive any State or political subdivision thereof, including any Territory or possession of the United States, of its civil and criminal jurisdiction in and over such property, or impair the civil rights under the State or local law of the inhabitants on such property. As used in this section the term “State” shall include the District of Columbia.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is authorized to make such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of subchapters II to VII of this chapter, and shall establish reasonable standards of safety, convenience, and health.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the wages of every laborer and mechanic employed on any construction, repair or demolition work authorized by subchapters II to VII of this chapter shall be computed on a basic day rate of eight hours per day and work in excess of eight hours per day shall be permitted upon compensation for all hours worked in excess of eight hours per day at not less than one and one-half times the basic rate of pay. Not less than the prevailing wages shall be paid in the construction of defense housing authorized herein. Preference in such employment shall be given to qualified local residents.

If any provision of subchapters II to VII of this chapter, or the application thereof to any persons or circumstances, is held invalid, the remainder of said subchapters, or application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Any agency designated by the President to provide temporary shelter under the provisions of Public Law Numbered 9, Seventy-seventh Congress, Public Law Numbered 73, Seventy-seventh Congress, or the Third Supplemental National Defense Appropriations Act, 1942, shall have the same powers with respect to the management, maintenance, operation, and administration of such temporary shelter as are granted to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under section 1544 and section 1546 of this title with respect to projects constructed hereunder, and the provisions of section 1547 of this title shall apply to such temporary shelter projects and the occupants thereof.

Except as otherwise provided in subchapters II to VII of this chapter, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, as promptly as may be practicable and in the public interest, remove (by demolition or otherwise) all housing under his jurisdiction which is of a temporary character, as determined by him, and constructed under the provisions of this subchapter, Public Law 781, Seventy-sixth Congress, and Public Laws 9, 73, 353, Seventy-seventh Congress. Such removal shall, in any event, be accomplished not later than July 1, 1954 or by such later date as may be required because of extensions of time in accordance with section 1584 of this title, with the exception only of such housing as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, after consultation with local communities, finds is still urgently needed because of a particularly acute housing shortage in the area: Provided, That all such exceptions shall be reexamined annually by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and that all such exceptions and reexaminations shall be reported to the Congress. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law except provisions of law hereafter enacted expressly in limitation hereof, no Federal statute, or regulation thereunder, shall prohibit or restrict any action or proceeding to recover possession of any housing accommodations for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section or section 1584 of this title.