Thirty Democratic Representatives led by Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) will send a Dear Colleague letter this week to the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), urging them to reinvest any savings from housing-related tax reforms, like reforms to the mortgage interest deduction, into rental housing programs for low income households—like the national Housing Trust Fund, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, and rental assistance and production programs—instead of using the savings to lower tax rates or reduce the deficit.
Signers include Representatives Adams (D-NC), Brady (D-PA), Carson (D-IN), Cicilline (D-RI), Clarke (D-NY), Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Conyers (D-MI), DeSaulnier (D-CA), Espaillat (D-NY), Green (D-TX), Grijalva (D-AZ), Heck (D-WA), Jayapal (D-WA), Jeffries (D-NY), Kihuen (D-NV), Larsen (D-WA), Lawrence (D-MI), Lee (D-CA), Meeks (D-NY), Moore (D-WI), Napolitano (D-CA), Nolan (D-MN), Holmes Norton (D-DC), Pingree (D-ME), Pocan (D-WI), Rush (D-IL), Serrano (D-NY), Slaughter (D-NY), and Velázquez (D-NY).
NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel stated, “Given the affordable housing crisis in communities across the nation, it is critical that Congress reinvest scarce federal resources into providing affordable rental homes for people with the greatest needs. I applaud these Members of Congress for taking this important step toward ending homelessness and housing poverty once and for all, and I encourage them to cosponsor the Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2017, which would do just that.”
Mr. Ellison reintroduced the “Common Sense Housing Investment Act” on February 8. NLIHC and the United for Homes campaign—which is supported by more than 2,300 national, state, and local organizations and government officials—strongly endorse the legislation. Stay tuned for more information on Mr. Ellison’s legislation, and action you can take to support it, coming soon.
A copy of the Dear Colleague letter can be found at: http://bit.ly/2j2j8MM
NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel’s press statement is at: http://nlihc.org/press/releases/7413
Join the United for Homes campaign at: http://nlihc.org/unitedforhomes/support