Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on a letter she, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Cedric Richmond and her colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) protesting the Trump administration’s proposal to cut the agency’s budget by $1.8 billion (about sixty-eight percent), at a time when public housing across the United States has more than $26 billion in unmet capital needs.

“At a time when working families are finding it increasingly difficult to find affordable housing in their communities and gentrification is rapidly spreading increasing the cost of Housing for the average American and threatening entire communitie in Brooklyn and across the United States with displacement, public housing offers an opportunity for longtime residents to remain in their homes, paying an affordable rent. Yet for more than a generation the federal government has failed to preserve existing public housing and create new developments . As a result, families are living in unsafe, unhealthy homes. In housing administered by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), residents are forced to live with rodent and insect infestations, mold, water damage, and other unsanitary conditions. Instead of eliminating resources for HUD, we must focus on increasing the agency’s budget to address the housing affordability crisis and protect families already living in public housing. I will continue to stand with my colleagues in the fight to protect the families I represent from these disdainful and ill conceived budget cuts.”

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