[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H4039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CLIMATE CHANGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Mullin) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MULLIN. Mr. Speaker, extreme weather is climate change unfolding 
before our very eyes. This past weekend, the San Francisco Bay Area 
recorded temperatures in the 90s and 100s--a far cry from our usual 
temperate summer weather.
  My region wasn't the only part of the country feeling the heat. The 
month of July has been a scorcher for the whole country with no end in 
sight. In fact, the Fourth of July was one of the hottest days on Earth 
in at least 50 years--a record that scientists said would have been 
virtually impossible without climate change.
  The story doesn't end with heat waves. Other climate disasters, like 
severe storms and wildfires, have been and will continue to be more 
intense and more frequent.
  Earlier this year, atmospheric rivers and devastating flooding 
pummeled my district, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the San 
Francisco Bay, causing millions of dollars in damage.
  Many Americans can afford to shield their properties from climate 
disasters and have done so over the years, but families who are already 
struggling to make ends meet are often left behind. This is especially 
true for households of color, many of whom live in more disaster-prone 
areas.
  We need to ensure everyone, regardless of their income, can shield 
their properties against the most devastating consequences of climate 
change.
  That is why I introduced the Weatherization Resilience and Adaptation 
Program, or WRAP Act, along with 20 of my colleagues from across the 
country, from California, but, also, Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, 
Ohio, and Michigan. We stand together.
  My bill would help low-income homeowners, affordable housing 
providers, and mobile home communities harden their property so they 
are more resilient to climate-driven natural disasters. Homeowners 
would get help to pay for things like double-pane windows, heat 
resistant roofing, artificial berms and dunes, and more.
  The Biden administration recently announced a nearly $1 billion 
investment through the Inflation Reduction Act that will assist the 
owners of federally subsidized affordable housing buildings to become 
more resilient to climate disasters.
  The WRAP Act would build on this historic action by helping 
individual property owners and the owners of other types of low-income 
housing who are left out of the IRA program.

  It is unfortunate that climate resilience-building measures are seen 
through a partisan lens. The reality is far different. Climate 
disasters don't distinguish between so-called red States and blue 
States. We are all impacted. Congress has the opportunity to shield our 
most vulnerable communities before disaster strikes.

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