Hud Transparency Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7280) to require the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to testify before the Congress annually, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7280

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``HUD Transparency Act of 2024''. SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY.

Not later than October 1 of each year, the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development shall appear before the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and present testimony on the Office of Inspector General's--

(1) efforts to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse;

(2) ability to conduct and supervise audits, investigations, and reviews;

(3) actions to identify opportunities for the programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to progress and succeed;

(4) recommendations to improve overall efficiency and public accountability;

(5) assessment of the extent to which the Department of Housing and Urban Development has resources sufficient to carry out its statutory mission; and

(6) ongoing activities regarding any such additional work, as appropriate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz) and her bill, H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act.

Mr. Speaker, our country is suffering from an affordable housing crisis, particularly in rural areas, like rural Texas, rural Iowa, and even rural North Carolina. Across the country, there is a shortage of over 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for low-income renters.

In my home State of Iowa, 10.6 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and the average household income is no more than $10,000, or less than the national average.

These housing problems are the result of bad policies at the agency overseeing housing, HUD.

With 8,500 nationwide employees and an annual budget of more than $75 billion, it is concerning that the HUD inspector general has highlighted many unacceptable problems at the agency, such as substandard housing conditions and even life-threatening issues with HUD-funded units.

It is common sense to require the inspector general of HUD to testify before Congress at least once per year. We owe it to the families served by HUD and to American taxpayers to create the platform required to be able to continue to shine a bright light on these important issues.

Congresswoman De La Cruz' bill is a positive step forward. It supports the opportunity for the inspector general of HUD to come before us to detail what is happening and help us find those critical solutions.

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Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for his comments. I associate myself with many of his remarks and recognize there is a great opportunity to continue to work forward in a bipartisan way to help address particularly the rural housing shortage across America.

De La Cruz).

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn) for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of my bill, H.R. 7280, the HUD Transparency Act of 2024. I thank the bipartisan cosponsors of this commonsense legislation aimed at enhancing the oversight and efficiency of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Speaker, for too long now, Congress has been without a formal oversight mechanism for HUD. Specific to the HUD inspector general, prior to the 118th Congress, it had been nearly 5 years since an official from HUD OIG testified.

H.R. 7280 provides long-overdue, consistent oversight by mandating the inspector general of HUD testify annually before Congress.

Given the magnitude of Federal dollars allocated to HUD, we know the housing affordability discussion cannot be had effectively without HUD's commitment to being responsible stewards of our tax dollars.

This is not a partisan issue. It is about ensuring that those who need HUD benefits can receive them. This legislation will enable the inspector general to provide essential insights and recommendations to Congress, facilitating informed decisionmaking and timely adjustments to HUD's programs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of the HUD Transparency Act.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the incredible work of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz). In only her freshman year, she is already standing on the front line of taking care of not only her constituents but recognizing this threat across the country, the challenges it poses, and offering a real solution that has earned overwhelmingly bipartisan support from the House Financial Services Committee and the team there.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on the House floor today to support H.R. 7280, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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