Bill Lee: “First let me thank Congressman Espaillat for yielding and for his tremendous leadership and advocacy to ensure that our…”

“First let me thank Congressman Espaillat for yielding and for his tremendous leadership and advocacy to ensure that our communities have access to affordable housing, regardless of their income, regardless of their background. I want to thank the Congressional Progressive Caucus and him for leading this Special Order tonight because it is so important that the public really understand the issues that we are dealing with here in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the American people. Tonight, of course, we are calling on the Trump administration and our colleagues across the aisle for greater investments in affordable housing, including in public housing. Affordable housing should be a basic right. No one should have to choose between placing food on the table or paying their rent, especially not in the wealthiest country on Earth. Sadly, right now, our country is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. Half of all families in this country are forced to spend more than 30 percent of their hard-earned income on housing. Over 38 million families struggle to pay rent and put food on the table every day because they pay more than one-third of their income on housing. Right now there are only 12 counties in the entire country where a minimum-wage worker is able to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. Simply put, the housing crisis in America has reached epidemic proportions. It is really a state of emergency.…”