Negotiations between President Joe Biden and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) ended on June 8 with both agreeing that, despite weeks of good-faith effort, the two sides remained too far apart to strike a compromise. Instead, bipartisan groups of senators and representatives have stepped in to reach an alternative deal.
The House Problem Solvers Caucus on June 9 released a framework for a compromise that would provide only $10 billion to support veteran housing, compared with the $319 billion in housing investments proposed by President Biden, while a bipartisan group of ten senators the next day released an outline of a $1.2 trillion proposal that includes $579 billion in new spending. Neither proposal includes the major investments in affordable, accessible housing needed for millions of households with the lowest incomes.
Advocates should contact their representatives and senators to remind them that housing is infrastructure and to urge the inclusion of the HoUSed campaign’s top priorities in any infrastructure package:
- Expansion of rental assistance to every eligible household
- $70 billion to repair and make energy-efficient upgrades to public housing
- At least $40 billion for the national Housing Trust Fund to build and preserve homes affordable to people with the lowest incomes
Take action today by calling your senators and representatives to urge that any infrastructure bill include these crucial investments. You can also join the 1,000 organizations supporting the HoUSed campaign’s infrastructure priorities by signing on to a national letter in support of these bold solutions.
Sign your organization on to the national letter in support of HoUSed campaign priorities at: https://tinyurl.com/zbau4kee
Find your members of Congress at: https://tinyurl.com/un7cm8tm
Learn more about the HoUSed campaign and get involved at: https://nlihc.org/housed