Housing
The foundation of the American Dream is to have a home to call your own. Unfortunately, the booming housing market in previous years allowed too many individuals to buy a home that they could not afford with loans that were not appropriate given their financial circumstances. Today, those individuals are facing foreclosure and the surrounding communities are seeing drastic drops in property values and taxes. In order to reestablish confidence in the housing market, it is important for me and my colleagues in Congress to support policies that provide assistance to at-risk homeowners and relief to negatively impacted communities.
An important way to assist homeowners is to ensure that they have access to transparent information regarding mortgages and credit. I voted in favor of legislation creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an independent agency with a range of rulemaking, information-gathering, supervisory, and enforcement tools to regulate financial products such as mortgages and credit cards. I believe with adequate knowledge and protections, consumers can responsibly achieve the American dream of homeownership.
I will continue to focus on addressing foreclosures; an issue too many homeowners still face. Whether homeowners can no longer afford their monthly payments due to job loss or increasing adjustable rate mortgages, or they cannot sell their home because they owe more than it is worth, foreclosure rates may continue to rise for the near term. I will remain vigilant in finding solutions to avoid foreclosure and that continue to push for reforms to ensure that the American dream of owning a home remains attainable.
More on Housing
This week, I joined my colleagues in the House in passing several important pieces of legislation, including the Respect for Marriage Act, the Right to Contraception Act, and a minibus of six appropriations bill which includes several of the projects I requested to improve infrastructure in New Jersey’s 8th District. As the world continues to watch Putin’s invasion of Ukraine unfold, I held a Western Hemisphere Subcommittee hearing to draw attention to Russia’s efforts to gain influence in the region.
To begin the appropriations process for fiscal year 2023, I shared my funding requests with the House Appropriations Committee. These requests assist the Appropriations Committee in drafting appropriations bills which ultimately fund the government. This year, I led letters requesting funding to address the root causes of irregular migration and support democracy programs in Cuba, as well as co-led a letter with Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) to request robust funding to address the humanitarian and refugee crisis in Venezuela.
(Washington, D.C.)- Today, Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ) released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union speech before Congress:
Last week, I joined my Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives in passing the Build Back Better Act, a transformational piece of legislation which invests in the American people and supports our ability to fully recover from the pandemic.
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, a hard-fought piece of legislation which responds to the needs of American families and addresses issues which were exacerbated by the pandemic.
This week, I cosponsored several important pieces of legislation to prevent bullying in schools, improve climate literacy, incentivize the use of sustainable fuel, improve housing equity and accessibility, invest in girls’ civic education globally, recognize the contributions of immigrants, and expand the program to provide visas to our Afghan allies as the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan.
Last week, I voted to pass several important pieces of legislation, including the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act, the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act, and the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act. The House also passed Senate resolutions, S.J.Res.13, S.J.Res.14, and S.J.Res.15 which overturned Trump era rules.
Last week, President Biden released his budget for the next fiscal year. Included are several key priorities, including investments in health research and public health, affordable childcare for low and middle-income families, free, universal pre-school, investments in teachers and historically underfunded public schools, funding for housing assistance, and jobs training.
This week, I joined my colleagues in submitting funding requests for the next fiscal year during what is known as the appropriations process. These requests are sent to the House Committee on Appropriations as they craft this year’s funding bill which will include programs that impact millions of Americans. This newsletter will focus entirely on a few of the funding requests I prioritized this year. I led letters requesting funding for Central America and the Merida Initiative in Mexico, in addition to a letter with Rep.
This week, I signed onto legislation holding polluters financially responsible for cleanup efforts at Superfund sites, providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented essential workers, allowing marijuana-related businesses to access banking services, and incentivizing doctors to serve in rural communities. I also signed on to letters urging stronger support for breastfeeding mothers and infants, and affordable housing support in the Build Back Better infrastructure package.