Issue Position: Affordable Housing

Issue Position

Affordable housing remains a top priority. Every American deserves the opportunity to fulfill the "American Dream" by owning a home. The recent housing market crisis has heightened the need for the FHA program to be not only viable, but sustainable in the long-term. The peace of mind of homeowners and homebuyers is something that must never be compromised.

* I voted for the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which was signed into law. It will help homeowners get help making their mortgages affordable and avoid preventable foreclosures. It also helps get credit flowing again. It establishes protections for renters living in foreclosed homes and the right of a homeowner to know who owns their mortgage.

* I cosponsored the Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force Act. It would establish in the Department of Justice a Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force to organize initiatives to address mortgage fraud and collect and disseminate mortgage fraud data.

Our community is one of hardest hit areas during the current mortgage crisis. South Florida ranks in the top five metropolitan areas in the nation where homes are entering one form or another of foreclosure.

As a result I have been a staunch supporter of FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act and the Neighborhood Stabilization Act.

* This legislation will not reward speculators, irresponsible borrowers or those who engaged in out-right mortgage fraud.

* It will protect those American homeowners who were truly victimized by predatory lending and by the effects of the market downturn.

Source