Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHN W. ROSE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Huizenga for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 7301.

The government shutdown of the economy due to COVID-19 created significant challenges for both renters and landlords. Folks, including back home in Tennessee's Sixth District, are having to make difficult decisions regarding their finances.

The shock the economy received was the largest our generation has ever seen, and the Federal Government has taken unprecedented action to remediate the damage done to the economy.

The CARES Act significantly increased funding for existing assisted housing programs at Housing and Urban Development and suspended evictions of residents from federally assisted properties for 120 days.

CARES also provided direct relief through economic impact payments, expanded unemployment insurance, and the paycheck protection program to keep Americans on their feet and the doors of our Main Street businesses open. This aid has been successful in many cases in providing renters with the financial means to keep paying rent throughout this pandemic.

Any further assistance should be administered efficiently, be targeted toward those who need it most, and include oversight.

This legislation before us today, however, includes a massive spending increase that fails to put into place any substantive reforms.

H.R. 7301 contains $119 billion in new HUD spending, tripling HUD's fiscal year 2020 appropriated budget for old and new programs, yet the bill does not include one provision holding the agency accountable on how that new money is spent. Moreover, every single provision included in H.R. 7301 was already included as part of the partisan HEROES Act and has no future in the United States Senate.

It is our role to ensure that we are being prudent, and I believe we need to be smarter. More innovative solutions are needed than the legislation we are discussing today.

Mr. Speaker, I will vote ``no'' on this legislation again, and I urge my fellow Members to do the same.

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