Political Quotes

“This is a modest measure. It is an excellent modest measure that begins to address a national crisis of housing. Moderate- and low-income families deserve the opportunity to realize the American Dream of homeownership. And given the high cost of housing, this dream is quickly becoming a nightmare in many regions of our country. This crisis is so bad that in my district, around the Bay Area of Northern California, professional households with incomes near $100,000 even face difficult housing choices. If these kinds of families are struggling, what does this mean for moderate- and low-income families? It means that Congress must do better. Mr. Chairman, Americans dream of owning our own homes. It rightfully gives us a stake in our society. Homeownership allows us to have a solid place from which we can accumulate some wealth to care for our families, to send our kids to college and to invest in small businesses. We still have a long way to go in this country. Even though there has been an increase in homeownership, there is really an embarrassing gap in this land of plenty when we realize that the homeownership rate for African Americans is still 20 percent below the national average. The rate for Hispanic Americans is over 20 percent below the national average.”