Rep. Meeks Responds to White House’s Proposal to Raise Rent on Low-Income Americans

Rep. Meeks Responds to White House's Proposal to Raise Rent on Low-Income Americans

Washington, DC – Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, a senior Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement in response to a proposal from President Donald Trump and Housing Secretary Ben Carson that would substantially increase rent on financially burdened families that receive housing assistance:

"Yesterday was an unfortunate one, especially for hard-working American families who are living paycheck to paycheck. Under Trump's heartless plan to raise rents, struggling families would lose money they could otherwise spend on groceries, school supplies, and other life essentials. The proposal would create an administrative nightmare at HUD and restrict job-seekers from moving to areas where rents are already high. Rather than encourage work in a changing economy, this proposal will stifle employment mobility and turn the federal government's back on individuals who have yet to fully experience what we have long hailed as the American Dream of getting ahead. It's deeply unnerving that this administration continually lines the pockets of the rich by stealing from the poor, but sadly, it is par for the course."

The Trump administration's rental housing proposal has been enshrined in draft legislation released by Republican Rep. Dennis Ross of Florida. The proposal repeals a legal protection authored by former Republican Senator Edward Brooke requiring that residents of federally supported housing not spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities.