Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, delivered the following floor speech supporting historic housing investments and urging passage of the Build Back Better Act:

Thank you very much, and I thank Chairman Yarmuth for his hard work. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Build Back Better Act, which will make historic investments across the country. We’re in the middle of a housing crisis, and I’ve worked hard for funding to assist with this crisis that we have in housing. And as Chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee, I’ve considered this my responsibility.

It is not lost on me that more than 580,000 people experience homelessness on any given night, and millions of families are, at this very moment, sacrificing their next meal to pay the pay rent. And more have been kept out of their dream of homeownership. With more than $151 billion for housing in this bill, Democrats are helping families achieve housing stability and housing affordability.

Housing is infrastructure. The Build Back Better Act provides the largest investment in America’s housing infrastructure in history. This investment is critical to creating a fair and equitable nation where everyone can thrive. 

If this bill goes to the Senate, in it, we have $10 billion for first-generation homebuyers. We have $25 billion in Section 8 rental assistance. We have $25 billion in HOME Program and CDBG and Housing Trust Fund to build more affordable units. And so, I would ask for support of this very significant legislation. It is indeed a game-changer. And so, I urge my colleagues to vote YES on the Build Back Better Act.

###