Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2016
Floor Speech
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Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. I thank the gentlewoman very much. I
appreciate being given some time at the last minute.
Mr. Chairman, the wealth gap and racial wealth gap have reached
record levels, and alarming statistics tell the story. Mr. Chairman,
46.5 million Americans are living in poverty, and comparable numbers
are even worse in the African American community and other communities
of color. For decades, we have had policies and made funding decisions
that have benefited only a few at the expense of the middle class and
minorities. The Great Recession and subsequent years of budget cuts
have only made things worse for these communities.
While the Republicans' budget demonstrates their commitment to
maintaining this inequality, the budget put forth by the Congressional
Black Caucus today attempts to rebuild and restore what we lost,
especially in the housing sector, which is why it has my support.
First, the CBC budget retains a robust Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau, which Congress created to protect all Americans from predatory
loans that led to millions of foreclosures, many of which were in the
African American community. The CBC budget also makes critical
investments in affordable housing programs, including fully funding
public housing and fully restoring Section 8 housing choice vouchers
lost due to sequestration.
The CBC budget would also invest much-needed resources to add over
20,000 new beds for the homeless across our country. Investments in
these important rental and homeless assistance programs is especially
important given the fact that we have nearly 8 million households in
America for whom safe, decent, and affordable housing is not available
to them.
Put simply, the Republican budget would widen the wealth gap in this
country; the CBC budget would help eliminate it.
Further, the CBC budget strengthens our housing market, our financial
system and economic stability as a whole. I urge that all Members of
this House vote in favor of it and in favor of putting our country back
on a sustainable economic path.
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