Political Quotes

“And to my colleagues, thank you for yielding. I am here today to speak in my support for the Congressional Progressive Caucus alternative budget and their fight for greater access to affordable housing. As you know, I was previously a mayor, and the quality of life in America is determined by our housing options, and the CPC budget acknowledges that. We have an affordable housing crisis. Only one in four families eligible for housing assistance receive it. There is a shortage of low- income apartments and rental homes that are affordable in low-income households. We have seen the results of sequestration taking housing assistance from 70,000 families, and the CPC budget moves us from trying to preserve existing affordable housing to making significant improvements and investments in new production. When you are an elected official or a mayor of a community, you see firsthand the challenges from unemployment, the challenges of jobs that are being reduced, the unemployed, and trying to maintain housing. It is important that we realize that in this budget we call for two new sources for affordable housing, the National Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund, to be fully funded by contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as is already required by law. This budget gives families and communities devastated by foreclosure the resources to renovate and resell homes and maintain overall property values. I come from Michigan, and I represent Detroit.…”