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Waters and House Democrats Hold Press Conference in Push to Keep Housing Funds in the Build Back Better Act
Highlights from the press conference:
“Housing is infrastructure. Housing is also racial equity. Housing is climate resilience. Housing is childcare and elder care. And housing grows the middle class. These are facts,” Chairwoman Waters said. “So, this is it. This is our chance. This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally invest in our housing programs, our communities, and our future – an investment that is long overdue.”
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“This investment of [$327] billion in funding for new and existing federal housing programs across the board, it is a generational, transformational investment,” Representative Velázquez said. “We cannot back down.”
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“Right now, the most powerful nation on the planet has almost 600,000 people without housing tonight, in the United States of America. And so, I am pleased that we are standing fast on affordable housing,” Representative Cleaver said.
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“It’s time for us to get people from under the bridges, the overpasses, along the highways and byways of life in this country. This is a unique opportunity,” Representative Green said.
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“It’s making sure that people have a roof over their head, and that hopefully, too, they have food on the table, and that they can take care of their families. We have to make sure that’s available to everyone,” Representative Garcia said.
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“Everyone should have access to a home where they are happy, can get to work easily, and know that their children will be safe when they play in their front yard,” Representative Williams said.
Watch the full press conference HERE.
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Committee Hearings
The Committee convened three hearings this week, including a Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) hearing on the ethical implications of AI, chaired by Rep. Foster; a Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on the impacts of a cashless economy, chaired by Rep. Green; and a Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance hearing on exclusionary zoning, chaired by Rep. Cleaver.
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Tweets of the Week:
Keep Housing in the Build Back Better Act Edition Pt. II
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Member Spotlight
| Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) |
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) serves on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion.
Representative Tlaib asks questions at this week’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing entitled, “Cashed Out: How a Cashless Economy Impacts Disadvantaged Communities and Peoples.”
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Weekend Reads
Upcoming Hearing Dates
- New! October 21 at 10:00 AM ET: The full Committee will convene for a hybrid hearing entitled, “A Strong Foundation: How Housing is the Key to Building Back a Better America.”
- October 26 at 10:00 AM ET: The Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets will convene for a hybrid hearing entitled, “Taking Stock of ‘China, Inc.’: Examining Risks to Investors and the U.S. Posed by Foreign Issuers in U.S. Markets.”
- October 27 at 10:00 AM ET: The full Committee will convene for a hybrid hearing entitled, “Bringing Consumer Protection Back: A Semi-Annual Review of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”
All hearings are livestreamed on https://democrats-financialservices.house.gov/live/.
For virtual hearings, all Members and witnesses participate remotely with no in-person participation in the hearing room. Hybrid hearings will take place in 2128 Rayburn House Office Building with a virtual option for all Members and witnesses to participate remotely.
Committee activities are finalized once an official notice is issued by the House Financial Services Committee.
Visit https://democrats-financialservices.house.gov/calendar/ for the most up-to-date Committee schedule.
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Chairwoman’s Corner
Waters on Exclusionary Zoning: We Must Ensure Every Family in America Has Access to the Communities of Their Choice
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing. It’s very important. In America today, our zip code preordains our access to jobs, homeownership, affordable rents, and a child’s access to quality education. It began with enslaving and later segregating my ancestors, stripping our Indigenous brothers and sisters from their land, redlining people of color out of homeownership, and it continues today with restrictive and exclusionary zoning policies. Communities across this country continue to use zoning and local control as a dog whistle to preserve racial residential segregation that contributes to the undersupply of housing. We must ensure every family in America has access to the communities of their choice. So, I look forward to our expert witnesses for their testimony today. Again, I thank you for holding this hearing.
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