HUD Transparency Act of 2024

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7280) to require the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to testify before the Congress annually, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz) and her bill, H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act.

Mr. Speaker, our country is suffering from an affordable housing crisis, particularly in rural areas, like rural Texas, rural Iowa, and even rural North Carolina. Across the country, there is a shortage of over 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for low-income renters.

In my home State of Iowa, 10.6 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and the average household income is no more than $10,000, or less than the national average.

These housing problems are the result of bad policies at the agency overseeing housing, HUD.

With 8,500 nationwide employees and an annual budget of more than $75 billion, it is concerning that the HUD inspector general has highlighted many unacceptable problems at the agency, such as substandard housing conditions and even life-threatening issues with HUD-funded units.

It is common sense to require the inspector general of HUD to testify before Congress at least once per year. We owe it to the families served by HUD and to American taxpayers to create the platform required to be able to continue to shine a bright light on these important issues.

Congresswoman De La Cruz' bill is a positive step forward. It supports the opportunity for the inspector general of HUD to come before us to detail what is happening and help us find those critical solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the HUD Transparency Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for his comments. I associate myself with many of his remarks and recognize there is a great opportunity to continue to work forward in a bipartisan way to help address particularly the rural housing shortage across America.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the incredible work of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz). In only her freshman year, she is already standing on the front line of taking care of not only her constituents but recognizing this threat across the country, the challenges it poses, and offering a real solution that has earned overwhelmingly bipartisan support from the House Financial Services Committee and the team there.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on the House floor today to support H.R. 7280, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act of 2024, sponsored by Representative De La Cruz, which would require the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to testify before Congress on an annual basis.

While this bill passed out of committee on, again, a bipartisan basis, House Democrats are working to put people over politics, and we urge our Republican counterparts to support

real solutions to combat our Nation's housing and homelessness crisis, including the Housing Crisis Response Act, the Ending Homelessness Act, and the Downpayment Toward Equity Act offered by Ranking Member Maxine Waters earlier this Congress.

This comprehensive package of bills would help spur the development of over a million affordable homes to help bring down rents, curb rising homelessness, and revive the dream of homeownership for all.

These are the types of solutions our constituents are calling on us to advance as they continue to face the crushing blow of housing inflation.

Mr. Speaker, I also note that I recently introduced the Keep Housing Affordable Act, which would bolster the low-income housing tax credit to incentivize developers to maintain the affordability of housing units for extended periods and boost the supply of affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, the high cost of housing is one of the main issues for my constituents in North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, we were supposed to be considering another bill on the floor today, H.R. 7462, the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act of 2024, sponsored by Ranking Member Waters. This bill is a commonsense measure to direct the Government Accountability Office to study the reasons why insurance companies are exiting States and refusing to provide insurance against wildfire perils.

This bill passed the committee by a broad bipartisan vote of 47-2, but unfortunately, Republican leadership pulled the vote. The majority didn't think Congress should understand why folks are losing their insurance coverage or what we can do about it.

Over the last week, communities across the country have been experiencing record heat waves as wildfires continue to ravage communities from California to Texas, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Virginia. I hope the Speaker will quickly reconsider this ill-advised decision to pull the bill so we can bring the bill to the floor. Again, it passed 47-2 out of committee.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan bill but also remind my Republican colleagues that we must come together to advance real solutions to the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn) for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of my bill, H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act of 2024. I thank the bipartisan cosponsors of this commonsense legislation aimed at enhancing the oversight and efficiency of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Speaker, for too long now, Congress has been without a formal oversight mechanism for HUD. Specific to the HUD inspector general, prior to the 118th Congress, it had been nearly 5 years since an official from HUD OIG testified.

H.R. 7280 provides long-overdue, consistent oversight by mandating the inspector general of HUD testify annually before Congress.

Given the magnitude of Federal dollars allocated to HUD, we know the housing affordability discussion cannot be had effectively without HUD's commitment to being responsible stewards of our tax dollars.

This is not a partisan issue. It is about ensuring that those who need HUD benefits can receive them. This legislation will enable the inspector general to provide essential insights and recommendations to Congress, facilitating informed decisionmaking and timely adjustments to HUD's programs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of the HUD Transparency Act.