Congressman Joe Neguse Meets with President Biden to Advocate for Equity in Affordable Housing, Climate Action in American Jobs Plan

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joe Neguse, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Executive Committee and Vice Chair for Housing and Transportation on the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, joined the Congressional Black Caucus for an Oval Office meeting with President Biden to discuss their upcoming priorities. Last week, Congressman Neguse met with President Biden and Vice President Harris to discuss gun violence prevention reform efforts.

In particular, Congressman Neguse advocated for several priorities critically important for the Black community and the people of Colorado — ensuring equity with respect to affordable housing and climate justice priorities in the American Jobs Plan. Recently, Congressman Neguse, alongside Senator Ron Wyden, wrote President Biden requesting their multi-billion proposal to create a civilian climate corps, be incorporated in the jobs plan, a request that was accepted and included as a $10 billion fund in the plan as unveiled last week. Congressman Neguse hopes to work with the Administration to ensure the establishment of a 21st century corps attracts a diverse workforce to help address unemployment rates among Black Americans and youth of color. Additionally, Congressman Neguse, today, advocated for affordable housing investments to be prioritized in the upcoming infrastructure package, an issue especially prevalent for northern Colorado communities as cities in the region have seen exponential population growth in recent years.

“As Coloradans look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, two main priorities persist: getting back to work and gaining access to affordable housing. As we work to serve and support our communities, job creation and affordable housing are guiding lights to meet the needs of our constituents,” said Congressman Joe Neguse. “I was honored to meet with President Biden today and advocate for these priorities, including through the creation of our civilian climate corps proposal which will put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work restoring our lands and forests, and an emphasis on expanding affordable housing opportunities and prioritizing equitable access in the upcoming jobs plan. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Biden Administration to get people housed and back to work and investing in the well-being and recovery of our communities.”

Background

Congressman Joe Neguse has focused on expanding affordable housing opportunities since he first got to Congress. He serves as Vice Chair for Affordable Housing and Transportation on the Majority Leader’s Task Force for Poverty and Opportunity and is sponsoring legislation to expand affordable housing opportunities and cut red tape for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. His bill, the Affordable HOUSE Act, introduced in June 2019, removes the current rule that prohibits property acquisition for affordable housing use in the first 10 years of the property’s ownership. This policy fix is crucial to increase affordable housing availability and preserve properties in need of rehabilitation and affordability regardless of when they were placed in service. Additionally, his Save Affordable Housing Act is bipartisan legislation that will protect the 30-year affordability commitment of housing financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Currently, Housing Credit properties are subject to a minimum 30-year affordability period. As the law currently stands, owners are permitted to pursue a Qualified Contract, which most often results in the ability for properties to convert to market rate after just 15 years. Before being elected to Congress, Congressman Neguse served as a Commissioner for Boulder Housing Partners.

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