[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H9066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL

  (Ms. CLARKE of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CLARKE of New York. Madam Speaker, pursuing the American Dream 
has become a daunting task for millions of Americans in need of a place 
they can call home. We must address affordable housing, as we are in 
the midst of an acute crisis, and it is sweeping across America.
  From my district in Brooklyn, New York, to Portland, Oregon, families 
coast to coast are getting priced out of their communities and driven 
into poverty and homelessness. My newly introduced bill, the Affordable 
Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act, will attack this crisis 
head-on.
  My bill addresses the clearly flawed model that has been used to 
calculate area median incomes, which is the basis on which rental rates 
are set. This outdated model made it harder for our families to afford 
having a roof over their heads, meanwhile, lining the pockets of big 
developers.
  The Federal Government cannot--must not--continue to be complicit in 
this travesty.
  As cities grow and communities evolve, the ability to afford having a 
roof over one's head should not be relegated only to those whose 
incomes afford them luxury.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in this crusade 
for human dignity: affordable housing for all Americans, access to 
affordable housing.

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