Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, introduced legislation with 14 other California Democrats representing the County of Los Angeles to address concerns with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) initiative to consolidate its multifamily offices, known as the “Multifamily Transformation.” The initiative is… Read more »

WASHINGTON -- Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, released the following statement today regarding an announcement from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that it will allocate $174 million to states from the National Housing Trust Fund: “There is a serious lack of affordable housing units in this country,… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, today introduced legislation that would remove unfair barriers to obtaining federal housing assistance, such as Public Housing and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. The proposal – unveiled during National Fair Housing Month and National Reentry Week – would reform eviction and screening… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, applauded an announcement today from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) that it will award $100,000 to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) through DOJ’s Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP). HACLA has partnered with… Read more »

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, introduced landmark legislation that would provide significant resources to end homelessness in America. The measure is a bold effort to declare what is really needed to address this crisis. The legislation provides $13.27 billion in new funding over five years to several programs and… Read more »

This week, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee that oversees federal housing programs, urged her colleagues to meet the housing needs of the country’s most vulnerable populations during the federal appropriations process for fiscal 2017. She proposed funding increases for a variety of federal housing programs, notably the Department… Read more »

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to Julián Castro, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), urging the Department to seriously reconsider the punitive approach outlined in its proposal to ban smoking in all public housing developments across the country. Ranking Member Waters’… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, today announced that the State of California has been awarded $213.5 million under the Hardest Hit Fund, a federal program that provides targeted aid to mortgage borrowers in order to prevent avoidable foreclosures. Through her leadership role in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Waters led… Read more »

During floor consideration of H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of Financial Services Committee, urged support of the bill, which seeks to enact several incremental changes across a number of federal housing programs that will allow affordable housing providers to better serve low-income families in… Read more »

Following the release of the results of the most recent independent actuarial analysis, which indicate that the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMIF) has reached its Congressionally mandated capital reserve ratio, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, applauded FHA’s efforts to both strengthen the MMIF and expand access to homeownership… Read more »

In response to a solicitation by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) for the public to offer ideas on alleviating poverty and housing affordability in light of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 50th anniversary, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), outlined a number of existing, proven approaches that already are helping to improve HUD’s… Read more »

Financial Services Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), participated in a Subcommittee field hearing, requested by Democrats, held today at the Port of New Orleans to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and review Federal efforts to support the City’s recovery. Several officials participated in the day’s events, including Housing and… Read more »

Federal financial services agencies have yet to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the American population in their workforces – this according to a Democratic Financial Services Committee staff report released during a press conference today led by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee. Senior Democratic Members in attendance included the… Read more »

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not alone in having racial disparities in its performance reviews, according to a report issued Thursday by the Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee. The report found that all seven bank, credit union and market regulators displayed significant disparities in employee evaluations, particularly among African-Americans who… Read more »

In an effort to address a rapid decline in the availability of affordable housing, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, today introduced the Project Based Voucher Improvement Act. The bill would allow public housing authorities (PHAs) increased flexibility to develop new units of housing to serve vulnerable populations, including the… Read more »

In opening remarks during a hearing in observance of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, outlined the accomplishments of the agency and the impact HUD has had in the lives of America’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Waters also focused… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, offered the following statement for the record in response to a special meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors earlier today with Mayor Eric Garcetti and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Juliàn Castro to address the City… Read more »

In advance of a hearing to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in light of its 50th anniversary, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), will lead a group of Financial Services Committee Members on a tour of the N Street Village – a homeless service provider for low-income and homeless women in Washington, D.C. – to highlight the critical need for… Read more »

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, issued letters to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging the agency to review two controversial demonstration programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Moving to Work (MTW) and the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). The letters come as Congress… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Financial Services, hosted an in-depth discussion today with actor, activist, and philanthropist Richard Gere and a panel of policy experts on the state of homelessness in America, focusing on the need for additional resources, coordination, and attention to help prevent and end homelessness in America. In… Read more »

Today, September 9, 2015, marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) founding. In commemoration of this milestone, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, commended HUD for its unparalleled work expanding opportunity and providing safe, decent, and affordable housing for millions of… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of Committee on Financial Services, will participate in the observance of the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to highlight the progress made since the depths of the storm and underscore the remaining work that must be done to ensure full recovery in the Gulf. Congresswoman Waters played an instrumental role in the post-storm… Read more »

Following an announcement of a settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (HACoLA) to resolve allegations that it collaborated with the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, as well as the County’s Sheriff’s Department to discourage low-income African American residents from utilizing Section 8 Housing Choice… Read more »

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, introduced legislation to reform a controversial demonstration program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) known as the “Moving to Work” (MTW) program. The measure, entitled the “Moving to Work Reform Act,” seeks to address many of the known shortcomings of the… Read more »

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the Ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Financial Services, is raising serious objections to what she characterized as a “harmful” Senate proposal to expand the Moving to Work (MTW) Program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In a letter addressed to leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Ranking Member… Read more »