Renters Caucus

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), founder and chair of the first ever Congressional Renters Caucus, led the majority of the Renters Caucus in urging House leadership to significantly increase funding for rental assistance in the government spending package.

In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the members call the GOP’s reliance on continuing resolutions “inadequate” given it doesn’t address the nation’s rental housing crisis and soaring housing costs.

“Merely maintaining federal rental assistance funding at current levels while rents continue to soar will result in fewer Americans being able to access federal rental assistance. Continuing Resolutions that provide no additional funds to adjust for the rising price of rental housing fail to meet the scope of this crisis or the needs of renters and result in severe cuts to rental assistance in real terms,” wrote the members.

Renter households represent 78% of Rep. Gomez’s district, the highest percentage of renters of any congressional district in the state of California and third highest in the nation.

Rep. Gomez founded the Congressional Renters Caucus to ensure that Americans have access to an adequate supply of safe, high quality, and affordable rental housing, remove barriers to renting, and expand federal rental assistance programs to ensure that all eligible households have access. Many of the members represent districts where well over half of households rent, and the steep increases in rents have had a devastating impact on the ability of households to maintain adequate housing, causing widespread housing insecurity and a nationwide homelessness emergency.

A PDF of the letter can be found HERE.

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