On the recordFebruary 2, 2016
Let me thank our ranking member, Congresswoman Waters, for leading and also for her tremendous leadership on the Financial Services Committee as our ranking member. She has been phenomenal in terms of making sure that our legislation is bipartisan. Also, I remember serving on the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance for many, many years with Congresswoman Waters, and she constantly worked to make sure that people had access to affordable, accessible, clean, and safe housing. She has not wavered on that agenda. So I thank her very much. The need for affordable housing has never been greater. That is why I am very happy to be here today to support the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015. This bill would make critical improvements to our Nation's public and assisted housing programs, and takes steps to ensure that low-income communities have access to safe and affordable housing. Now, let me just tell you, in my district in Oakland, California, rents have risen faster than anywhere else in the Nation. In fact, if the average Oakland renter had to move tomorrow, they would be spending a staggering 70 percent of their income on housing--70 percent of their income. That is outrageous. My constituents, like many constituents around the country, can't afford this, so this is a crisis.…
