FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 28, 2024

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: brian.phillips@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) led 45 of her colleagues in a bicameral letter urging the Biden-Harris Administration to further prioritize efforts to bridge the racial homeownership gap.

“Today, we write to you in solidarity with America’s Black communities, who have long constituted an integral cultural and economic backbone of our country, yet have been subject to significant marginalization in many aspects that make up the American Dream – notably, the ability to buy and own a home. We urge you to further prioritize efforts to close the homeownership gap and dismantle the structural barriers limiting Black homeownership,” wrote the members. “To many, homeownership is a defining moment of success and lifelong goal of many Americans. While the Biden Administration has made numerous efforts to promote Black homeownership through underwriting policies within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), along with establishing initiatives such as the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE), we believe more must be done.”

Senators Booker (D-NJ) and Butler (D-CA) and Reps. Adams (NC-12), Beatty (OH-03), Bishop (GA-02), Carson (IN-07), Carter (LA-02), Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Chu (CA-29), Davis (IL-07), Espaillat (NY-13), Evans (PA-03), Foushee (NC-04), Garcia (CA-42), Garcia (TX-29), Grijalva (AZ-07), Horsford (NV-04), Jackson (IL-01), Kelly (IL-02), Khanna (CA-17), Kim (NJ-03), Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Lee (CA-12), Lieu (CA-36), McBath (GA-07), McClellan (VA-04), McCollum (MN-04), Moore (WI-04), Norton (DC), Omar (MN-05), Payne (NJ-10), Porter (CA-47), Ramirez (IL-03), Sánchez (CA-38), Schiff (CA-30), Sewell (AL-07), Smith (WA-09), Thompson (CA-04), Tlaib (MI-12), Torres (NY-15), Trone (MD-06), Vargas (CA-52), Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Williams (GA-05) also joined the letter.

Read the full letter here.

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