[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 118 (Monday, July 22, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4653-H4654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HUD TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2024

  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 7280) to require the Inspector General of the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development to testify before the Congress 
annually, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7280

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``HUD Transparency Act of 
     2024''.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY.

       Not later than October 1 of each year, the Inspector 
     General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
     shall appear before the Committee on Financial Services of 
     the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, 
     Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and present 
     testimony on the Office of Inspector General's--
       (1) efforts to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse;
       (2) ability to conduct and supervise audits, 
     investigations, and reviews;
       (3) actions to identify opportunities for the programs of 
     the Department of Housing and Urban Development to progress 
     and succeed;
       (4) recommendations to improve overall efficiency and 
     public accountability;
       (5) assessment of the extent to which the Department of 
     Housing and Urban Development has resources sufficient to 
     carry out its statutory mission; and
       (6) ongoing activities regarding any such additional work, 
     as appropriate.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Nunn) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. 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 material on this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentlewoman from Texas 
(Ms. De La Cruz) and her bill, H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act.
  Mr. Speaker, our country is suffering from an affordable housing 
crisis, particularly in rural areas, like rural Texas, rural Iowa, and 
even rural North Carolina. Across the country, there is a shortage of 
over 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for low-income 
renters.
  In my home State of Iowa, 10.6 percent of the population lives below 
the poverty line, and the average household income is no more than 
$10,000, or less than the national average.
  These housing problems are the result of bad policies at the agency 
overseeing housing, HUD.
  With 8,500 nationwide employees and an annual budget of more than $75 
billion, it is concerning that the HUD inspector general has 
highlighted many unacceptable problems at the agency, such as 
substandard housing conditions and even life-threatening issues with 
HUD-funded units.
  It is common sense to require the inspector general of HUD to testify 
before Congress at least once per year. We owe it to the families 
served by HUD and to American taxpayers to create the platform required 
to be able to continue to shine a bright light on these important 
issues.
  Congresswoman De La Cruz' bill is a positive step forward. It 
supports the opportunity for the inspector general of HUD to come 
before us to detail what is happening and help us find those critical 
solutions.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the HUD Transparency 
Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act 
of 2024, sponsored by Representative De La Cruz, which would require 
the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development to testify before Congress on an annual basis.
  While this bill passed out of committee on, again, a bipartisan 
basis, House Democrats are working to put people over politics, and we 
urge our Republican counterparts to support

[[Page H4654]]

real solutions to combat our Nation's housing and homelessness crisis, 
including the Housing Crisis Response Act, the Ending Homelessness Act, 
and the Downpayment Toward Equity Act offered by Ranking Member Maxine 
Waters earlier this Congress.
  This comprehensive package of bills would help spur the development 
of over a million affordable homes to help bring down rents, curb 
rising homelessness, and revive the dream of homeownership for all.
  These are the types of solutions our constituents are calling on us 
to advance as they continue to face the crushing blow of housing 
inflation.
  Mr. Speaker, I also note that I recently introduced the Keep Housing 
Affordable Act, which would bolster the low-income housing tax credit 
to incentivize developers to maintain the affordability of housing 
units for extended periods and boost the supply of affordable housing. 
Mr. Speaker, the high cost of housing is one of the main issues for my 
constituents in North Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, we were supposed to be considering another bill on the 
floor today, H.R. 7462, the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act of 
2024, sponsored by Ranking Member Waters. This bill is a commonsense 
measure to direct the Government Accountability Office to study the 
reasons why insurance companies are exiting States and refusing to 
provide insurance against wildfire perils.
  This bill passed the committee by a broad bipartisan vote of 47-2, 
but unfortunately, Republican leadership pulled the vote. The majority 
didn't think Congress should understand why folks are losing their 
insurance coverage or what we can do about it.
  Over the last week, communities across the country have been 
experiencing record heat waves as wildfires continue to ravage 
communities from California to Texas, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Virginia. I 
hope the Speaker will quickly reconsider this ill-advised decision to 
pull the bill so we can bring the bill to the floor. Again, it passed 
47-2 out of committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for his comments. I associate myself with many of 
his remarks and recognize there is a great opportunity to continue to 
work forward in a bipartisan way to help address particularly the rural 
housing shortage across America.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz).
  Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. 
Nunn) for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of my bill, H.R. 7280, 
the HUD Transparency Act of 2024. I thank the bipartisan cosponsors of 
this commonsense legislation aimed at enhancing the oversight and 
efficiency of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
  Mr. Speaker, for too long now, Congress has been without a formal 
oversight mechanism for HUD. Specific to the HUD inspector general, 
prior to the 118th Congress, it had been nearly 5 years since an 
official from HUD OIG testified.
  H.R. 7280 provides long-overdue, consistent oversight by mandating 
the inspector general of HUD testify annually before Congress.

  Given the magnitude of Federal dollars allocated to HUD, we know the 
housing affordability discussion cannot be had effectively without 
HUD's commitment to being responsible stewards of our tax dollars.
  This is not a partisan issue. It is about ensuring that those who 
need HUD benefits can receive them. This legislation will enable the 
inspector general to provide essential insights and recommendations to 
Congress, facilitating informed decisionmaking and timely adjustments 
to HUD's programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
passage of the HUD Transparency Act.
  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan bill but also remind my 
Republican colleagues that we must come together to advance real 
solutions to the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time 
to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I recognize the incredible work of the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. De La Cruz). In only her freshman year, she is already 
standing on the front line of taking care of not only her constituents 
but recognizing this threat across the country, the challenges it 
poses, and offering a real solution that has earned overwhelmingly 
bipartisan support from the House Financial Services Committee and the 
team there.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on the House floor today to 
support H.R. 7280, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 7280, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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