[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2492-H2497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis impacts us all. 
Regardless of whether you live in a city, a suburb, or a rural town, 
many Americans are concerned about their housing stability.
  Homelessness has risen every single year since 2017. The shortage of 
available and affordable housing has only worsened. High interest rates 
and student debt has made the American Dream of homeownership out of 
reach and impossible for too many. Severely underfunded programs are 
unable to tackle the most critical issues facing our communities in a 
meaningful way, and wages are just not keeping pace with rising housing 
costs.
  The human right to housing is more than a slogan and more than just 
four walls and a roof over someone's head. The human right to housing 
means realizing safety and stability and dignity through housing.
  I am convening tonight's Special Order hour for the Congressional 
Progressive Caucus, so that I, along with my colleagues, can talk about 
the housing challenges facing American households and the progressive 
solutions we can champion to address this issue.
  Some of those solutions are: bridging the gap between income and 
housing costs and expanding and preserving the supply of affordable, 
accessible rental homes for people with the lowest incomes, providing 
emergency rental assistance to households in crisis, strengthening and 
enforcing renter protections, and opposing efforts to undermine housing 
first and criminalize homelessness.
  Safe, affordable, dignified housing, I know, is a foundation on which 
so much of our quality of life and our economic security is built. I 
hear often that housing is just too hard to tackle at the Federal 
level, but if we want to realize housing for all as a human right, we 
have to challenge ourselves to move beyond traditional approaches and 
embrace creativity and innovation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Porter).
  Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, my son Paul broke my heart with a question. 
He asked: Mom, will you come visit me when I grow up and live outside 
of California?
  I asked: Why would you want to live out of State?
  It wasn't that there is somewhere else he would rather be. He was 
just a teenager, a teenager already worrying that he wouldn't be able 
to afford to live where he grew up. He was right to be worried.
  We all face a big cost-of-living problem. Housing has become too 
expensive and affordable housing altogether too scarce. The National 
Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that there is a nationwide 
shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes. That is not just a 
problem; it is a full-blown crisis.
  Washington has bungled this for decades, and nothing is changing. 
Earlier this year, bipartisan House and Senate leaders promised the 
biggest investment in housing that Congress has made in 35 years. Until 
the deal fell apart. We are back to solving yesterday's problems 
tomorrow maybe.
  Washington insiders may not have a plan, but I do. Let's start with 
the easiest step. Let's create a housing committee. We currently lump 
housing issues into the Financial Services Committee, a body focused on 
Wall Street, banking, and financial markets. However, housing is about 
so much more. It is about shelter. It is about well-being. It is about 
opportunity, not just about Wall Street profits.
  Housing should have a dedicated committee, and then Republicans and 
Democrats on that housing committee must work together to do three 
related things. First, increase the supply of housing; second, make 
housing easier to build; and, third, make housing more affordable.
  Believe it or not, the supply part is pretty easy. Republicans and 
Democrats alike actually want to increase our housing supply. You don't 
have to take my word for it. Look at the Affordable Housing Credit 
Improvement Act, which would enhance tax credits to build 2 million 
homes over the next decade. It is publicly supported by 111 Democrats 
and 111 Republicans, so let's pass that.
  Why stop with tax credits? Let's unleash private capital for home 
construction by guaranteeing and securitizing the construction of one-
to-four-unit starter homes, just like the government already does for 
big apartment buildings built by Wall Street real estate firms.
  Those are the steps that we need to take to invest in our housing 
supply, but actually building those homes is still too challenging, and 
it shouldn't be. Stick and brick homes are expensive. Manufacturing 
costs have gone down in virtually every industry except home building. 
Why aren't we copying and learning from what worked in other 
industries?
  Imagine a home built, at least in part, from 3D-printed materials. 
Congress can invest in this type of technology and reduce building 
costs by over 30 percent just by thinking creatively. All levels of 
government should be partners in creative thinking. Congress should 
reward counties and cities that take steps to make their building and 
zoning requirements more flexible, and the Federal Government should 
release some of its unused land so we can build homes on it.
  With these simple steps, we can build way more affordable homes and 
get those financed and built. Then we just need to figure out how to 
make them affordable to own. One problem is that hedge funds have been 
scooping up all of the affordable homes, especially starter homes.
  We need to pass the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act and 
tax Wall Street investors who purchase hundreds of homes solely for 
profits. Houses should be for homeowners and mom-and-pop landlords, not 
Wall Street companies looking to drive up their profits.
  With the money we make from that bill, we can invest in downpayment 
assistance for first-time home buyers. Often the biggest thing stopping 
people from owning a home is not having the cash to pay up front for 
the downpayment, even if they can afford the regular payments on that 
mortgage. Downpayment assistance will solve that.
  This is what a plan looks like. Congress just doesn't have one.
  The United States did not wind up with a shortage of nearly 7 million 
affordable homes overnight. Our housing crisis is the gradual 
consequence of leaders in Washington being asleep at the wheel for over 
30 years.
  Well, Congress needs to wake up. Lowering people's housing costs 
isn't pie in the sky. We have done it before. We did it through the GI 
Bill for servicemembers, and we can do it again for all Americans. That 
is what we need from Washington, and I will keep pushing to get it 
done.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Porter for her 
remarks. I could not agree with her more. That is why we are doing this 
Special Order hour on housing. We need our Congress to wake up.
  Mr. Speaker, can you imagine we were wrapping up a session, and you 
had nowhere to go, you didn't have a place where you could lay your 
head tonight. You had no roof over your head on the coldest day of the 
year, let's assume we were in January.
  The reality is that on any given night in America, more than 600,000 
people experience homelessness, and nearly half of these individuals--
250,000--sleep outside. In Illinois, the average age of someone 
experiencing homelessness is not 55, it is not 65, it is not 70. It is 
just 9 years of age. Can you imagine having a grandchild, a son, a 
sister, a niece not having anywhere to sleep at the age of 9?
  Homelessness is increasing across the country because more and more 
hardworking families and individuals are struggling to make ends meet; 
and in the richest country in the world, rents

[[Page H2493]]

are far too expensive, wages are way too low, and decades of failed 
housing policies have brought us to this point.
  For example, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has found that 
a full-time worker must earn $28.58 per hour to afford a modest 2-
bedroom apartment. It doesn't get much better for a modest 1-bedroom 
apartment because a person would have to earn $23.67 to afford it. To 
put that in perspective, Mr. Speaker, a worker earning the minimum wage 
in this country would have to work 104 hours a week, which adds up to 
more than 2.5 full-time jobs. That is unacceptable.
  In less than a week, one of the most important housing cases in a 
generation, Johnson v. Grants Pass, will be argued before the Supreme 
Court. Johnson v. Grants Pass essentially asked the Court whether 
cities can punish unhoused people for covering themselves with a 
blanket even in the absence of shelter.
  This is where we are as a Nation. We are willing to consider 
criminalizing a woman with a 9-year-old child, a person experiencing 
homelessness, a veteran experiencing homelessness when there is no 
shelter, and they just want to cover themselves with a blanket.

                              {time}  1930

  Luckily, the District Court and the Court of Appeals have held that 
criminalizing homelessness violates the Eighth Amendment to the 
Constitution, which establishes the right to be free from excessive 
bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment.
  If the Supreme Court upholds the current decision, jurisdictions 
across the country will no longer be able to criminalize people for 
existing when they have no place to go.
  But if the Supreme Court overturns the lower courts and rules in 
favor of Grants Pass it will give cities and States permission to 
punish people who have nowhere else to go, other than to sleep outside.
  Mr. Speaker, it is despicable that there are those who would seek to 
punish our neighbors for simply trying to survive in an impossible 
situation. Regardless of the ruling, homelessness is persistent 
precisely because we are unwilling to act to solve the problem.
  The solution is clear: Unhoused people need housing. Housing is the 
answer--housing, not handcuffs.
  We must bridge the gap between incomes and housing costs, build and 
preserve homes that are affordable to people with the lowest incomes. 
We must create permanent tools to prevent evictions and homelessness, 
and we must strengthen housing-first policies, including permanent 
supportive housing and rapid rehousing which are evidence-based.
  Studies show that for permanent supportive housing, a rate of up to 
98 percent of households retain their housing after a year--98 percent. 
For rapid rehousing, that is about 75 percent, and 91 percent of 
households remain housed a year after being rapidly rehoused.
  Because we in Congress hold the power of the purse, we have a duty to 
provide adequate funding for proven housing programs and new or 
innovative revenue sources to support proven housing programs.
  Look, prior to coming to Congress, I spent 20 years providing social 
services and working on policy for the unhoused population in Chicago. 
I witnessed firsthand the multilayered effect of not having a stable 
home on our unhoused neighbors, the health outcomes, the access to 
education, economic development, and more.
  The bottom line is, there are many proven and data-backed solutions 
to homelessness. We have no excuse. The answers are there. We just 
haven't had the will to enact them. Arresting or otherwise punishing 
homeless folks, veterans, and children is not a solution. Jails and 
fines make the cycle of homelessness worse by taking resources away 
from housing and support. It is not only a bad policy, it is cruel.
  Advocating for housing not handcuffs is how we lead the progressive 
fight for housing as a human right.
  The Third District, Mr. Speaker, in Illinois has inspiring leaders 
who have been leading the fight for housing justice. It is why, Mr. 
Speaker, today I rise to honor Robert M. Adams and Dirk Enger. These 
are two combat veterans who embody the essence of compassion and 
service.
  After years of providing assistance to servicemembers returning to 
civilian life, Robert and Dirk opened the Midwest Shelter for Homeless 
Veterans to help veterans suffering from homelessness.
  Since 2000, the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans has been a 
beacon of hope, providing vital support to our veterans in DuPage. From 
affordable housing and employment assistance to service outreach, 
Robert and Dirk's dream is that no veteran is left behind when it comes 
to care and services they earned and they deserve.
  Their commitment to building a continuum of care for our veterans is 
truly inspiring, and on behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional 
District, it is my great honor to commend Robert M. Adams and Dirk 
Enger for their commitment to supporting our veterans and ensuring that 
they receive the care our Nation promised them.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate them.
  We can't talk about homelessness without talking about the high cost 
of housing. I mean, many of our constituents that I serve, nearly 40 
percent in my district, are renters. In the Chicago portion of my 
district, we have seen rent go up 20 percent--in some cases even 
higher.
  For decades, the United States has faced increasing housing costs and 
declining construction. In 2022, it is estimated that 12 million 
Americans are spending more than half of their income on rent and 
utilities.
  Now, think about that. You get your income; you get your check. You 
have worked your 40, 50, 60 hours, and you look, and more than half of 
it is going to rent and utilities and the rest of it probably to a car 
payment, most likely to gas, student loans, and credit cards. People 
are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and given what we have seen since 
COVID, reduced housing supply, increasing rents, supply chain issues, 
these statistics have only gotten worse.
  When I was tapped to represent the resilient and diverse communities 
of Illinois in the State legislature, I was clear, I am going to fight 
like hell to prevent folks from losing their housing and falling into 
homelessness. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I passed an 
expansive housing bill that included eviction moratoriums and rental 
assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, we need more programs and policies that make rent 
affordable for families. However, I know that staying housed is just 
one piece of the puzzle. Even if people are able to remain housed, high 
rent often forces people to choose between basic needs like keeping the 
lights on or purchasing their medication. I mean, people are having to 
choose between medication, paying for their light bill, or paying rent.
  When people have to make these kinds of choices, a cycle develops. 
What is that cycle, you would ask? It is the cycle of debt, poor 
credit, predatory lending, and all of the distressing consequences when 
unaffordable housing creates financial hardships for our families.
  That is why it is more important than ever that we continue to make 
housing more affordable while we also address predatory practices. We 
have to expand the use of tools like alternative credit scores that 
factor in rent and utility payments, and we have to regulate fees like 
late credit card fees.

  I was so encouraged to hear that last month the Consumer Financial 
Protection Bureau, the CFPB, they finalized a rule to cut excessive 
credit card late fees that cost American families more than $14 billion 
a year. By reducing the typical fee from $32 down to $8, more than 45 
million people will experience an average savings of--are you ready--
$220 per year.
  Consumer protections are part of how we help families navigate 
financial security in the face of housing stability, but we also have 
to recognize the important role that the Fair Housing Act plays in 
protecting tenants and prospective homebuyers from housing 
discrimination and predatory landlords.
  The year 2024 marks the 56th anniversary of the passage of the 
Federal Fair Housing Act. Today, serving in this Congress, it seems 
almost impossible that people can come together to set a national 
policy of fair housing that bars discrimination based on race, color, 
religion, national origin, gender, familial status or disability--but 
we did. And the need is greater than ever.

[[Page H2494]]

  According to the National Fair Housing Alliance's 2023 Fair Housing 
Trends Report there were 33,007 fair housing complaints received in 
2022; the highest number of complaints ever reported in a single year.
  Overall complaints were 5.7 percent higher than the previous year, 
and complaints based on source of income and domestic violence 
significantly increased.
  While this legislation is still relevant 56 years later, I would 
argue it could use an update.
  In Illinois, the Human Rights Act, which is 45 years old this year, 
also bars discrimination in housing based on sex, including sexual 
harassment, age, ancestry, marital status, military status, unfavorable 
discharge from military service, sexual orientation, gender-related 
identity, order of protection status, arrest record, source of income, 
or immigration status.
  Here is what I know: If housing is a human right, then we must root 
out housing discrimination and predatory practice whenever we find it.
  I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bowman) to speak a little 
bit more about this housing work across this country and what must be 
done.
  Mr. BOWMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, 
and I thank her for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am telling America, the rent is too damn high. I 
repeat, the rent is too damn high. It remains too damn high for the 
majority of Americans.
  We believe very strongly that housing is a human right. Every single 
person in our country should have access to affordable housing--housing 
that is truly affordable.
  If you work full time in our country, you should be able to afford 
clean, respectful, dignified, adequate housing. No American should 
spend more than 20 percent of their salary toward rent and/or 
mortgages.
  In my district, you have people paying 30, 40, 50, 60, even 70 
percent of their salaries toward rent. How can you afford 
transportation? How can you afford childcare? How can you afford 
education or to get your child tutoring or to take additional courses 
for yourself? How can you afford to put your child in martial arts or 
science or arts or music programs when the majority of your money is 
going toward rent?
  In Westchester County where the majority of my district resides, you 
need to make $40 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. That 
means you will be working 2.6 minimum wage jobs, and you will not have 
discretionary income. You will not have an exemplary quality of life, 
which should be the goal of this Congress; to make sure that everyone 
in our country has their basic needs met, beginning with housing.
  President Biden recently announced a rent cap in properties that use 
the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. That is a huge help for millions of 
Americans. We thank President Biden--huge shout-out to him. But we need 
for the President to go further and regulate rent across the country. 
He should use his authority to cap rent at any property with a 
federally backed mortgage, which Senator Warren and I have joined 
tenant leaders in proposing.
  I want to give a huge shout-out to community voices heard who are 
organizing for tenants in Yonkers, in the Bronx, and all throughout 
Westchester County. I want to give a huge shout-out to Evelyn Santiago, 
who is organizing for tenants in White Plains, and throughout 
Westchester County. I want to give a shout-out to Jeanette Garcia who 
is working and organizing with United Yonkers for tenants' rights.
  As development goes up, we have to make sure rent remains truly 
affordable for the working class. We should not be allowing the 
displacement or the gentrification of the most vulnerable in our 
communities. I want to give a huge shout-out to Westhab. We have worked 
very closely with them to give them millions of dollars to build and 
sustain affordable housing for seniors and others in Yonkers and in 
places all over the county and the district.
  We need a Green New Deal for public housing. We have to rebuild our 
public housing stock. The Federal Government has disinvested in public 
housing for decades, and over the last 10 years there has not been a 
dime given to public housing. We need new public social housing in 
alignment with our climate goals.
  We also need to support Representative Omar's bill, the Housing for 
All Act, to invest a trillion dollars over the next 10 years to make 
sure that everyone has a home.
  For those who are unhoused and may need supportive housing, we need 
to build that, too.
  America used to be the country of big ideas, but we need to make sure 
we implement these big ideas for marginalized people and marginalized 
communities because housing is a human right, and the rent is too damn 
high.
  We still have so many people in our country, millions, not just 
unemployed, but underemployed--under employed.

                              {time}  1945

  Housing costs are through the roof. Food costs are through the roof. 
Utilities costs--``Ay, Dios mio''; ``Oh, my God''--are through the 
roof. People can't afford childcare.
  We are creating a permanent underclass because we do not have a bold 
vision as a United States Congress. The only way our democracy is going 
to work for everyone is if we focus on equity. Step one is to focus on 
equity to make sure everyone has a clean, dignified, respectful, clean 
energy home. That should be our goal. That should be our mission.
  I thank Representative Ramirez for her leadership and vision for 
housing in our country. Her leadership in Chicago and all throughout 
the State of Illinois and our country is astounding. She inspires women 
across this country. She inspires Latinas across this country. She 
inspires people of color across this country. She inspires me.
  I am a sophomore Representative, and she is a freshman. I look up to 
her and ask her to please continue to share her bold vision with the 
people of America.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right--``Ay, 
Dios mio''; ``Oh, my God''--the rent is too darn high.
  Today, we heard from Members from California and Congressman Bowman 
from New York.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. 
Omar).
  Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, ``Mashallah,'' ``God has willed it,'' to 
Representative Jamal Bowman for that incredible speech and for giving a 
shout-out to my Homes for All Act.
  I thank Representative Ramirez for yielding and for bringing all of 
us together to be able to advocate for housing.
  Mr. Speaker, in the richest nation on Earth, it is a moral failure 
that we have a housing crisis, but moral victories are not won by words 
but by urgent actions and bold policies. Fortunately, our localities 
are stepping up with sensible housing reforms and creative development 
models.
  In Minneapolis, our Public Housing Authority just unveiled its 
largest development in decades. The Minneapolis Public Housing 
Authority created 84 new units that are deeply affordable family 
housing across Minneapolis, using an innovative modular construction 
approach that cut development time by 30 percent.
  In Montgomery County, local leaders created their own version of an 
affordable housing development by setting up a revolving loan fund to 
develop dense, mixed-income, municipally owned housing. Now, their 
public developer model is being replicated in other communities across 
the country.
  These local initiatives are vital to strengthening housing 
affordability, but they need more support. The solution to our housing 
shortage cannot be piecemeal. It demands a combination of local 
innovation and bold Federal leadership.
  Congress cannot sit on the sidelines. We have the responsibility and 
capacity to solve this crisis. We can start by authorizing significant 
Federal funding and public financing options for true public and social 
housing.
  That is why I will be reintroducing the Homes for All Act, to 
transform what housing could look like in the United States, rooted in 
the right reforms and priorities. It repeals the Faircloth amendment 
allowing public housing authorities to build more housing on a massive 
scale, like we once did in times of great need.
  To ensure Federal disinvestment and neglect does not happen again, 
the bill

[[Page H2495]]

also converts public housing operating and capital expenses into 
mandatory spending.
  It makes historic investments in our housing stock, building 8.5 
million new public housing units and 3.5 million new private housing 
units for working-class families.
  Finally, my bill would establish a fund to help localities develop 
pro-housing programs that can also prevent residential segregation and 
displacement.
  Congress needs to play a more active and direct role in strengthening 
our housing supply. This includes making sure that public and private 
dollars for affordable housing are used effectively and equitably by 
supporting local zoning reform and robust tenant protections. Such 
policies can work together, if crafted carefully.
  Last Congress, Senator Merkley and I introduced the Affordable HOME 
Act to provide that comprehensive approach to ensuring housing 
construction and acquisition efforts are fair, inclusive, and 
sustainable. For renters and first-time home buyers, this legislation 
provides robust funding for direct rental assistance and downpayment 
assistance. This bill also establishes programs for a national right of 
first refusal and right to counsel and bans source-of-income 
discrimination and no-cause evictions.
  For people experiencing homelessness, the bill provides billions of 
dollars in funding for permanent supportive housing, not only covering 
capital costs but also expanding rental subsidies and wraparound 
services.
  For communities, the bill invests in innovative housing models, such 
as resident-owned cooperatives and community land trusts.
  My bills are only a couple of examples that could help guarantee 
housing as a human right.
  I am proud to share this floor with my dedicated colleagues who have 
championed housing policies that are centered on the needs of our 
communities and advocates.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to shout-out Representative Esther Agbaje, 
Representative Aisha Gomez, Representative Mike Howard, and 
Representative Hodan Hassan, who are leading the charge in the State of 
Minnesota to make sure housing is available for all. Everyone deserves 
access to a safe and stable place to live.
  I thank Representative Ramirez for her great partnership in this 
important fight.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, the truth is, as I hear my colleague from 
Minnesota (Ms. Omar) talk, there are bills prepared to bring solutions 
to this issue. What we need in Congress is the will and courage to 
prioritize our communities. I thank her for her leadership.

  Mr. Speaker, the work that we do can't be done without the people on 
the ground who are constantly working to make sure that the people who 
need to be seen are seen and heard. These are leaders in our community 
that often are unsung heroes but that do all the work so that Members 
of Congress, like me, could be here.
  It is why I rise today to recognize my constituent, Catherine Serpa, 
who is a local organizer living her commitment to safe and dignified 
affordable housing.
  Serpa is a resident of Chicago's Housing Authority's public housing, 
knowing firsthand the challenges families in Chicago and around the 
Nation face when it comes to affordable housing. As president of the 
North Central Scattered Sites, she has worked tirelessly to organize 
her neighbors, including Section 8 voucher recipients, to protect their 
rights as tenants.
  Serving on the board of the Central Advisory Council, Catherine 
brings the voice, the perspectives, and the concerns of neighbors 
living in public housing to ensure that they are represented in the 
decisions that impact them daily. Her work has been central to ensuring 
public housing residents have clean, dignified, well-maintained homes 
and is a key voice in strengthening my legislation, the Tenants' Right 
to Organize Act.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my great 
honor to commend Catherine Serpa for her contributions to our community 
and her commitment to housing for all. I thank and congratulate 
Catherine.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to commend my constituent, a leader, 
an inspiration, Jose Zayas, for his more than five decades of service 
and activism in our communities to realize housing as a human right.
  Jose's family migrated from Puerto Rico in the 1950s. They moved into 
Lathrop Homes, a historic public housing development on the northwest 
side of the city.
  Jose made strong connections with his neighbors as he grew up, and he 
became a staunch defender of the community and a steward of the strong 
generational relationships built there.
  For years, progress in redeveloping Lathrop Homes to provide hundreds 
more promised apartments has stalled. While the fight has been long, 
Jose's leadership has been constant. He has been a committed advocate, 
testifying, marching, and calling for accountability. As a Lathrop 
alumni leader, he has consistently held public officials accountable to 
do more to preserve and protect public affordable housing.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my great 
honor to commend Jose Zayas for his leadership and commitment to fight 
for public and affordable housing for our communities. I thank Jose, 
and it is my honor to congratulate him with this congressional 
commendation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr.  Robert 
Garcia), my friend, to continue to hear about the work that needs to be 
done around housing throughout the country and the ways that Congress 
can actually act.
  Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative 
Ramirez for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, our Nation faces a severe housing crisis, and it is time 
for Congress to start working on real solutions for working families.
  We know that we are facing a shortage of 3 million homes across the 
country. That is unacceptable, and the deficit has led to years of 
rising costs for every American.
  Housing is a human right, but today, there are millions of people 
with no access to a safe home, no access to a stable home, and this is 
happening in cities and towns across America. We know that millions 
more are at risk.
  In 2020, almost half of American renters were forced to spend more 
than 30 percent of their income just on housing, and 23 percent were 
forced to spend more than half their income on rent.
  We just know that rent is too damn high. This is unacceptable, and it 
is the single biggest driver of our country's homelessness crisis.
  In places like L.A. County that I represent, and in communities 
across America, rents are going up and housing stock is becoming more 
and more difficult. We know that working families and middle-class 
families have less and less access to not just buying a home but even 
renting a home that they can afford.
  We know the most vulnerable constituents are facing the most severe 
consequences of this crisis, and it impacts especially Black, Brown, 
and low-income communities across America.
  We also know it is a crisis for seniors and for people on a fixed 
income who can't keep up with skyrocketing housing costs. It is 
impacting young people, who are entering the job market and starting 
families but realizing, sadly, that they will never be able to afford a 
home.
  For the past 70 years, being able to buy a home and build wealth has 
been the gateway to the middle class for millions of families. It has 
made the American Dream possible for so many generations, but now we 
are allowing that American Dream to crumble.
  The shortage of affordable housing is estimated to cost us 
approximately $2 trillion a year due to lower wages and productivity. 
We need to build more housing.
  Housing is a social justice issue. Housing is a climate issue. We 
know that communities that adopt smart housing policies can build more 
affordable housing.
  Not only does our Federal Government need to invest in more housing, 
in more vouchers, in more affordability, and focus on more not just 
local but national tenant protections, but we also need to take a smart 
approach to growth.
  Mr. Speaker, that is why, last year, I also introduced the People 
Over Parking Act to eliminate minimum parking

[[Page H2496]]

requirements near high-quality public transit. For those who don't 
know, parking minimums force property owners to create a certain number 
of spaces regardless of the needs of the people who live in those 
homes.

                              {time}  2000

  In fact, parking minimums are oftentimes the single largest driver of 
housing costs across America, leading to less and less affordable 
housing. Additionally, many of these spaces go unused, even as the 
financial costs are passed on to renters and tenants, even folks that 
may not even own a car.
  We need to reduce parking minimums. We need to increase density 
across the country. We need to look at our zoning to ensure that we can 
spur more multifamily units and developments across neighborhoods and 
across communities in this country.
  We must expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and invest in 
housing that is affordable and accessible. That is what the Low-Income 
Housing Tax Credit can do.
  Let's pass commonsense policies. Let's protect renters and tenants. 
Let's ensure that neighborhoods are for everyone and that folks have 
access to the middle class. Housing is a human right.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Garcia for his words. 
He is absolutely right. The rent is too damn high.
  With skyrocketing inflation and increasing rents, tenants are often 
finding themselves in a vicious cycle of being rent burdened and 
vulnerable to unfair housing prices.
  While the Fair Housing Act and other nondiscrimination work is 
critically important, we know most incidents of housing discrimination 
go undetected or they go unreported.
  Marginalized communities, especially nonnative English speakers, new 
arrivals, immigrants, Black and Brown people, can be afraid to speak 
out against unfair discriminatory housing policies because they fear 
retaliation. That is why the protection of tenant unions and tenant 
organizing rights are critical. Every tenant should be able to use 
their voice to address the concerns they have regarding their housing 
situation. This is why I was proud to lead my friends and colleagues, 
Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley,   Jimmy Gomez, and  
Greg Casar, in the introduction of the Tenants' Right to Organize Act, 
a historic measure that protects and expands the community power, 
changing the landscape of housing for everyone.
  This is what it will do. It protects the organizing rights of tenants 
with housing vouchers and tenants living in Low-Income Housing Tax 
Credit properties and expands protections to mixed-status families and 
those who may not be eligible for tenant-based rental assistance.
  All tenants must have the right to organize, and protecting and 
strengthening tenant organizing and protecting tenants' unions is 
another way that we help people stay housed.
  I also give a shout-out to Representative Norma Hernandez in the 
State legislature in Illinois who has an identical bill in the State 
House to begin doing this work specifically in Illinois. We are so 
grateful for Representative Norma Hernandez's work.
  The truth is that in parts of my district, gentrification is a dire 
threat to housing as a human right. It drives up housing costs, 
displaces families, and destroys webs of relationships and community 
history. That is why I am so inspired with the work of Palenque LSNA, a 
predominantly Latine community-based organization in Illinois 3. 
Palenque's youth and mother leaders have fought to resist displacement 
and addressed gentrification by expanding community control of local 
land use and zoning.
  In much the same way that we protect renters' and homeowners' rights 
at the Federal level, I encourage us to be inspired by the work of the 
organizations like Palenque to encourage the models of the future that 
help us think beyond the status quo, community control, community 
landownership, and collective financial models, because I know that 
those are the ways of the future.
  As we think about our future, we have to reckon with the consequences 
of climate change on our collective housing stability. For instance, in 
my district, polar vortexes are more frequent, and lower average 
temperatures requires more heat which increases the household's energy 
consumption and associated expenses. Even if we stabilize rents and 
make housing more affordable, we also have to address how climate 
change and climate inaction puts us all at risk.
  It is why we have to realize both policy action and investments to 
secure the future of our public housing, prioritize climate and racial 
justice, and boost our economy and labor force. It is why I am proud to 
stand with Representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders in 
introducing the Green New Deal for Public Housing, a bold solution to 
confront unprecedented challenges.
  The sweeping legislation aims to retrofit, rehabilitate, expand, and 
decarbonize the entire Nation's public housing stock through an 
estimated $162 to $234 billion investment over the next 10 years.
  While we must consider how we future-proof our housing against 
climate uncertainty, we have to pay particular attention to ensure that 
the 1.6 million people who live in our Nation's public housing are 
protected.
  Working families continue to invest in our communities. They work, 
shop, eat, worship, learn, and play in our neighborhoods and towns. 
They deserve to be rooted and deeply connected to the people and places 
that shape them. That includes the power to put down roots in the 
communities that they have lived. That requires long-term affordability 
for long-term stability.
  The solutions we look for are already in our communities. From 
Humboldt Park to West Chicago, leaders, neighbors, and organizations 
are working in solidarity to create affordable housing opportunities.
  Our role is to expand and support their efforts with transformative 
investments and commonsense legislation that prioritizes our 
communities. That is how we lead the progressive fight for housing as a 
human right.
  That is why I am so grateful for the leadership of people who have 
grown up in the community and continue to do the work to get us closer 
to housing as a human right.
  It is why, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my constituent, 
Lissette Castaneda. She is an experienced and trailblazing voice for 
fair housing.

  From the Hermosa neighborhood, Lissette Castaneda has dedicated more 
than 15 years of her life to helping the members of our community find 
a place they can call home, to keep families safely housed, and to 
fight for the creation of affordable housing and vibrant communities.
  As the former executive director of LUCHA, an affordable housing 
organization serving my district, Lissette has uplifted the voices and 
the perspectives of longtime residents in our communities to fight for 
the housing and resources they need to thrive.
  In February, Lissette Castaneda made history by being appointed and 
confirmed as the very first ever Latina Commissioner of the Department 
of Housing in Chicago's history. I have been honored to work with her 
for many years as we fight to maintain and expand affordable housing. I 
know that Commissioner Castaneda will serve our communities well, 
fighting tirelessly for all Chicagoans to have safe and dignified 
housing.
  On behalf of Illinois's Third Congressional District, it is my great 
honor to commend Lissette Castaneda for her visionary leadership and 
her service to our communities. I congratulate her.
  I also rise today, Mr. Speaker, to honor Sally Hamann and Dr. Anne 
Scheetz, community activists for the preservation of affordable housing 
who exemplify the true spirit of solidarity.
  For more than a decade, Sally and Anne have been strong supporters of 
our community's fight for housing affordability and accessibility.
  In a time when gentrification threatens to erode the fabric of our 
communities, they have demonstrated what solidarity and fraternity look 
like.
  To support the cause of affordable homeownership, Sally and Anne 
donated their homes to a community land trust, the Here to Stay 
Community Land Trust, to ensure they remain affordable home options. 
How many people would donate their home so that another family can have 
the dream of owning a home?

[[Page H2497]]

  Through their actions and the land trust's mission, longtime 
residents will now find access to affordable homeownership, ensuring 
that families with roots in Logan Square can continue to thrive and 
flourish in the neighborhood they call home.
  On behalf of Illinois's Third Congressional District, it is my great 
honor to commend Dr. Anne Scheetz and Sally Hamann for their decades of 
activism, solidarity, and actionable commitment. Sally and Anne are a 
true inspiration for Congress. I congratulate them.
  I have talked a lot today about the importance of addressing 
homelessness, not criminalizing people experiencing homelessness. We 
have talked about the importance of rental housing, creating it, and 
legislation that actually creates a solution. We certainly know that 
there is so much work to be done around homeownership, and this 
Congress has the ability to actually make it possible for people to be 
able to have housing as a human right.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have joined me tonight for the 
Progressive Caucus Special Order hour, as we talked about the 
progressive fight for housing as a human right.
  Tonight, we have heard from courageous leaders about the work they 
are doing. You heard about people in my district, inspiring leaders who 
are literally giving their life so that others can have housing as a 
human right.
  There is power in being rooted. When we are rooted in ways that 
nurture safety, dignity, security, love, and joy, Mr. Speaker, we 
bloom, our community blooms, our neighborhoods bloom.
  This Fair Housing Month, I call on us to reaffirm our commitment to 
homeownership as an accessible American Dream, to housing for all as a 
just social security and to housing as a human right regardless of race 
and gender.
  Before we wrap up, Mr. Speaker, I do want to take a moment to talk 
about a situation that is weighing very heavily on my heart. For over 2 
years, Ukrainians' way of living and democracy have been under attack 
by a dictator, a war monger, and an extremist. While this country 
promised to stand by them, we have failed to deliver the aid they 
desperately need to protect their homes, to care for their wounded and 
sick, and to recover from Putin's attacks.
  To my Ukrainian constituents whose families and hearts are still in 
Ukraine, know that I stand ready to vote in favor of standalone 
legislation that provides assistance and humanitarian aid to 
Ukrainians. I call on my colleagues to bring Ukrainian aid to the floor 
without conditioning support on the well-being of asylum-seekers or the 
lives in Palestine or any other poison pill. We have to support 
Ukrainian families without delay, and we can do that today.
  As I wrap up, Mr. Speaker, I realize that today is a special day. 
Coming to Congress and sometimes having extended sessions, it means 
that we may be missing important days back at home. Today, April 17, is 
a very important day for the love of my life. Today is the birthday of 
Boris Noel Hernandez, my better half. On this House floor, I want to 
wish him a very happy birthday.
  I also thank the staff who have worked so diligently to make sure 
that we can do this work, that we can move legislation. I want to give 
a special thank you to Katherine Bray, who is working with me today and 
to the leaders across the country.
  To the people that are just a moment from homelessness, know that 
while I am here and while the Congressional Progressive Caucus stands, 
we will fight like hell every single day until housing becomes a human 
right in this Congress, in this State, in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________