Rick Lazio: “This is a bill that has been fully vetted over 3 years. This is a bill that has twice seen consideration, not just in…”

“This is a bill that has been fully vetted over 3 years. This is a bill that has twice seen consideration, not just in committee, but on the floor of the House. Just last May, as I mentioned earlier, this bill passed with over 293 Members of the House voting in favor of it, including one-third of the Democratic conference. Mr. Chairman, 71 Democrats supported making these essential changes to a failed public housing system. I do not understand, Mr. Chairman, for many folks that did not create this system of failure, why they feel the need to defend it. Who can be against individual choice, empowerment, more local control? But to urge defeat of this amendment is to do just that. This is a bill that stands for the individual, stands for individual choice, allows individuals who receive rental vouchers to achieve homeownership, which we say is the American dream. Let us stand for it. Let us not be hypocritical. We say we are for local control; we say the communities and neighborhoods should be able to control their own destiny. Let us do it. This bill does it. We say we are for safer streets, for healthier housing, for better education. Let us give poor people the tools to achieve those things by giving them vouchers, by allowing them to achieve homeownership, by allowing them to build up equity in a home, by permitting them to start businesses.”