As New York State faces an unprecedented housing affordability crisis, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined more than two dozen Senate colleagues to ensure that comprehensive housing investments stay in President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. More than 10 million families in the United States spend more than half their income on housing each month. As the Build Back Better plan moves through Congress in the coming weeks, this moment represents a unique opportunity to improve the day-to-day economic realities for millions of families across America.
“The Build Back Better plan presents a rare opportunity to combat the nation’s housing affordability crisis, bring down the cost of safe housing, and invest federal resources to create, preserve, and improve millions of homes,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Congress must commit to using this opportunity to expand affordable rental housing, help more families access homeownership, remove lead paint and other health hazards from homes, repair public and assisted rural housing, and invest in neighborhoods. These investments should also be sustainable and energy-efficient, make homes and communities more resilient to climate-driven disasters, and reduce our impact on the planet—all while creating good paying jobs.”
Senator Gillibrand has fought for funding to support housing assistance for New Yorkers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and helped secure $45 billion for homelessness prevention and housing assistance in the American Rescue Plan. Of this funding, $5 billion was allocated for emergency housing vouchers. She also co-sponsored the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act of 2020 to help families and individuals pay their rent and back rent and the Public Health Emergency Shelter Act to respond to the needs of families and individuals experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gillibrand was joined in her push by U.S. Senators Merkley (D-OR), Padilla (D-CA), Feinstein (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Angus King (I-ME), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
The full text of the letter can be found here.