Democrats say affordable housing would be a top priority in a Biden administration

Democrats on Tuesday said there has been a lack of federal leadership on affordable housing under President Trump and that the issue would be a top priority in a Biden administration.

Speaking at The Hill’s virtual event on affordable housing, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julián Castro, who was also a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said former Vice President Joe Biden would reinstate many of the housing policies implemented during the Obama-era that were subsequently rolled back by Trump.

Castro touted the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, a 2015 HUD initiative the Trump administration has since terminated that required localities receiving federal funds create plans to remove discriminatory or biased fair housing barriers. He also promoted the Interagency Council on Homelessness, which coordinated efforts across 19 agencies to reduce veteran homeless.

Castro said both programs are examples of Biden’s commitment to innovative and all-encompassing policy.

“We absolutely can make gains from not siloing housing from education from transportation from health, but focusing holistically on how people live their lives,” Castro told The Hill’s Steve Clemons. “I know Vice President Biden supports that kind of work.”

.@JulianCastro: “I hope that one day we’re going to say…there’s no reason that anybody should not have a safe, decent, affordable place to live, and most importantly we won’t just say it or think it, we’ll act on it” #TheHillHousing2020 https://t.co/TRkP8u0koO pic.twitter.com/oDeR9gYfx5

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) August 18, 2020

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), who also spoke at Tuesday’s event sponsored by Enterprise, said housing assistance is a top priority for Democrats, and even an area for potential bipartisanship.

“People can’t get by, have a job, help their children have a great education if they don’t have a safe place to live,” she said. “That’s even more important during a pandemic. Affordable housing was a top priority before the crisis, but now it’s an even more critical priority given the situation that’s happening for families all across the country.”

.@RepDelbene: “people can’t get by, have a job, help their children to have a great education, if they don’t have a safe place to live, and that’s even more important during a pandemic.” #TheHillHousing2020 https://t.co/TRkP8u0koO pic.twitter.com/hLZdJBX8JG

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) August 18, 2020

DelBene also discussed her bill, the Affordable Credit Housing Improvement Act, which aims to strengthen the Low Income Housing Tax Credit by stabilizing its value and increasing the amount of credits allocated to states. The measure, which would also create jobs through funding the building of new affordable housing units, has 76 Republicans among its 223 cosponsors in the House. The Senate version also has GOP support, but neither measure has advanced.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who spoke at last night’s virtual convention and has made D.C. the first city to set affordable housing targets by neighborhood, said at Tuesday’s event that federal leadership is needed to truly address the nation’s housing crisis.

She said the situation with rent and mortgage insecurity is so dire that assistance cannot wait until after the election, and called for greater federal funds for affordable housing projects.

“What we talked about last night was putting Black Lives Matter into action and bringing those words alive in all of our policies,” Bowser said. “Affordable housing is important to Black people and the Black agenda.”

Washington, DC @MayorBowser on homelessness: “when people are treated in a dignified way they can deal with emergency, they can deal with everything that got them to be homeless in the first place, and really get a second chance” #TheHilHousing2020 https://t.co/TRkP8u0koO pic.twitter.com/qoUXMTKXRN

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) August 18, 2020