00:00With that, the gentleman from New York, Mr. Espyat, is recognized for his remarks on the bill.
00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman, ranking member.
00:10I rise in strong opposition to this bill.
00:15It will make housing less accessible.
00:19It ignores the realities of inflation.
00:22It flat funds and cuts crucial housing programs like Section 8.
00:29Public housing and housing for the elderly, for seniors.
00:34As a member of one of the districts with the largest number of public housing units in the country,
00:41these cuts will greatly impact the majority of my district.
00:44The New York City Housing Authority, which has a backlog of $80 billion for repair, for capital repairs,
00:52relies on federal funding to ensure that they are able to offer clean and safe units for families.
01:01This will eliminate any repairs, let's say, for elevators.
01:07Some seniors live on top floors, on the 20th floor, 30th floor, and they need to have access to the ground floor.
01:13The only way to get down if you have mobility issues is through the elevator.
01:18So this funding, capital funding for NYCHA will help repair elevators.
01:24Boilers, so you can have heat and hot water.
01:28Rooftops, to eliminate by pointing the building and repairing the rooftop, the envelope of the building,
01:35you'll be able to eliminate mold, leaks, and even lead paint in some of those apartments.
01:43So lacking the funds for this will hurt the families that live in New York City Housing Authority.
01:50The more than 70,000 voucher holders in my district will be at risk of losing their housing
01:57because this bill does not fund Section 8 in a way that keeps up with inflation and the rising cost of housing.
02:06So in addition to the capital repairs that are critical to the quality of life of these families,
02:12particularly seniors, you now have cuts to Section 8 and families that are the neediest.
02:19Now, we spoke to the Secretary of HUD, and he agreed and he admitted that we are facing an unprecedented homelessness crisis
02:32and that, in fact, we also have an affordable housing emergency.
02:37And he agreed that the rent is too damn high.
02:40And yet, what the White House is proposing is to cut HUD by over 50%.
02:48And here we go again, applying additional cuts that will further hurt a working family.
02:55This bill comes at a time when homelessness is at an all-time high.
03:00In New York City, one out of eight kids, 146,000 kids in the New York City public school system are homeless.
03:10Many are in shelters and even doubling up and are living with friends and extended family.
03:18Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to submit the article entitled,
03:24One in Eight New York City Students Experienced Homelessness Last Year, a Record High into the Record.
03:30Without objection.
03:31Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
03:32I will go on and say that this is a bill that should be opposed as it puts the homelessness crisis,
03:42the affordable housing emergency, and the high rents in steroids.
03:51Instead of funding ways to address this issue,
03:53this bill will eliminate funding for the Interagency Commission on Homelessness
03:59and underfund the McKinney-Vento program.
04:03This bill is not serious as it's not a serious attempt at addressing America's housing crisis.
04:10While House Republicans continue to introduce bills that contain irrelevant riders
04:17and have their own communities, the Senate Republicans just passed a recession bill
04:23that greatly diminishes Congress' power of the purse.
04:27They have proved time and time again that they are unserious about this process,
04:33and I urge my colleagues to vote against this horrible bill.
04:37And I yield back.
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