Senate Democrats hold briefing after Trump cancels signing of bipartisan housing bill

[0:00] Thank you. And first, let me say, did not Elizabeth Warren do an amazing job on this housing bill? [0:06] Let's hear it for her and so many others on our committee, many of whom are here in both the House and the Senate. [0:14] And, of course, we saw that what Donald Trump did today. [0:18] Donald Trump had a unique, rare chance to help the American people, and he refused. [0:25] Donald Trump, whenever he has an opportunity to help the American people with costs of housing and other issues, he runs away from them. [0:34] He gets diverted to ridiculous issues like the SAVE Act, which Donald Trump, don't even try to substitute one for the other. [0:42] The SAVE Act is not going to pass the Senate or the House. [0:46] We're not going to trade lower costs for housing for taking away our voting rights. [0:52] That's a trade no one would make. [0:54] And so Democrats have been listening about the affordability crisis in housing, even if Donald Trump isn't. [1:03] So we put out a forward-looking agenda to tackle this crisis. [1:08] It's one of the biggest expenses people face. [1:11] One of the main reasons that our younger citizens are not happy about their future is that their papers get blown away. [1:23] One of the main reasons that our younger people are upset is they can't afford a home. [1:34] And when you can't afford a home, when you can buy a home, my wife and I were able to buy a home at a young age. [1:41] And it helped us understand we're building equity, we're building our future, we're even building something for our children. [1:47] When that doesn't happen, a lot of the American dream gets extinguished. [1:52] And then there are people who can't afford to buy a home whose rent is so high they can hardly afford things like food or transportation or going home and seeing the grandkids. [2:03] So housing is essential. [2:05] And for too long, it's been ignored under Republican leadership. [2:11] But now we have put together a bill that looks at so many different aspects of lowering the cost of housing for both those who want to buy homes and those who want to rent. [2:23] And let me tell you something. [2:24] When we get back the majority in the House and we get back the majority in the Senate, we are going to build on this and do even more. [2:35] The road to housing will have many, many highways coming from it. [2:41] It'll be a great thing for us. [2:43] So we're dealing with Trump's chaos. [2:47] But Senator Warren and all of us did not let that chaos divert us from our main job, which is reducing the costs the American people have. [2:57] Trump's petty refusal to sign our bipartisan bill shows how reluctant he is to do anything that would help the American people. [3:09] And that's why Republicans are running away from Trump now, are yelling at Trump at their lunch, because he refuses. [3:16] What he wants and what the American people need are so far apart. [3:21] And there couldn't be an area where that is more so than on housing. [3:25] Elizabeth, thank you. [3:26] Thank you very much. [3:27] Thank you, Mr. Leader. [3:28] You know, thank you all for being here, all of you. [3:34] We should be here today to celebrate, because we should have a housing bill that is now law. [3:42] Instead, we are here with a call to action. [3:45] And the call is, sign the bill, Mr. President. [3:51] Americans want housing costs to go down. [3:55] And we have a law that is passed through the House, through the Senate, big bipartisan majorities, ready to go. [4:04] And Donald Trump wakes up this morning and decides he just can't sign it into law. [4:11] Understand, this is the biggest housing package coming out of the United States government in more than 30 years. [4:22] Democrats and Republicans worked hard, worked together to get this done. [4:28] The whole plan behind this, two big parts. [4:32] One is build more housing. [4:35] Say it again with me. [4:36] Build more housing. [4:37] And the second one is stop private equity from mowing through our neighborhoods and buying up all the houses that should go to homeowners. [4:51] Housing is for families, not a Wall Street investment. [4:56] We have that in this bill. [4:59] It's remarkable that we made it this far and got something so good. [5:04] So we're here today to say Democrats are committed to lowering costs for American families. [5:12] Just all keep in mind, Donald Trump promised on day one, on day one, that he would lower costs for American families. [5:21] Well, we're on day 500 and gag me now. [5:24] And where are the costs? [5:28] Cost of food is up. [5:31] The cost of utilities is up. [5:33] The cost of gasoline is up. [5:35] The cost of health care is through the roof. [5:39] The cost of housing is up. [5:42] Donald Trump may not care, but Democrats do. [5:46] We've dropped our heads. [5:48] We have stayed in this fight. [5:50] And we're not in the majority in the House. [5:53] We're not in the majority in the Senate. [5:54] We sure as hell don't control the White House. [5:57] But nonetheless, we helped push through the biggest housing bill to lower costs, to help renters, to help homeowners. [6:09] And now all we need is Donald Trump just to say yes. [6:17] This may be a battle, but I guarantee we will get this bill passed. [6:23] We will get it passed while the Republicans are still in control or, damn it, the Democrats will take over and we will get it passed with the Democrats in control. [6:32] But we will get this bill passed. [6:35] And I just want to say, when I look around here at all the people who fought alongside us on this, thank you for being in this fight. [6:43] It is an honor to fight along these folks because our fight is a fight about lowering costs for American families. [6:50] We're going to deliver. [6:51] And with that, I bring out the whip, Catherine Clark. [6:56] Thank you. [6:57] The House whip. [6:58] You bet. [6:59] Have at it. [7:00] Thank you so much. [7:01] I am so delighted to be standing with these colleagues, with Democrats who know how to get stuff done, who are delivering solutions for the American people and doing what Congress is supposed to do, come together, compromise, make a bill that is good for people and put people first. [7:21] And what a contrast to what we're seeing from the Republicans and Donald Trump today. [7:28] We have a common sense, bipartisan bill that should already be the law of the land. [7:37] This should have happened a few hours ago. [7:39] The chairs were set up. [7:41] We are ready to go. [7:43] But Donald Trump and the Republicans have blocked it. [7:47] They are holding a housing bill that the American people are desperate for, hostage to Donald Trump's ambitions to rig our elections. [7:59] This is what they do every single time. [8:03] Even when they have a chance to do something that would meaningfully help people, they choose their own power. [8:11] Because that's all they believe in. [8:14] They do not have another agenda. [8:18] And that's why they're willing to blow up a bill that they helped write. [8:23] And that's the moral rot at the core of the Republican Party. [8:29] It is self-preservation above all else. [8:32] Here's the calculation. [8:35] If you're not a billionaire, if you're not a corporation, if you're not a good friend or a campaign donor, you do not matter. [8:45] If you're struggling to pay rent, if you are trying to buy your first home and are unable to do it, they are telling you tough luck. [8:56] We've come to expect this from Donald Trump. [8:59] He already said out loud he doesn't want housing prices to go down. [9:05] But let's not forget, House Republicans have a role in this, too. [9:11] Mike Johnson could right now, at any time, formally present this bill to the president and make the president choose. [9:20] Will he veto it or will it become law in 10 days? [9:25] But Mike Johnson's not choosing that path, and that is a betrayal of duty. [9:32] Republicans are so desperate to appease Donald Trump, to cling to their jobs, they are willing to sabotage legislation they have already passed and force Americans to quite literally pay the price. [9:49] Every day, they show us who they are, they don't work or care about anyone but their own political careers. [9:59] The American people are paying attention. [10:03] They have noticed and they understand that it is Democrats that are standing with them and for them in this fight to lower their costs and give families across this country a chance of having a little breathing room and opportunity in this economy. [10:24] This is the work that we will continue to do and recommit to today while we are watching this betrayal of the American people unfold in the Republican Party. [10:37] Thank you. [10:38] Thank you. [10:39] And I yield. [10:40] Thank you. [10:41] Thank you, Whip Clark. [10:42] And I yield back to you, my senator. [10:44] Thank you, Whip Clark. [10:46] And now I get to welcome the woman who has led us on housing issues and so many other issues of economic justice. [10:56] The woman who pushed this bill across the finish line, the incomparable Maxine Waters. [11:02] Wow, wow, wow. [11:04] What an introduction. [11:08] I want you to know that Senator Warren is being very modest. [11:12] She spent hours on the phone, hour after hour, pushing to close this bill. [11:21] And I was pleased to work with her because this is her vision. [11:27] This is what she's been involved in. [11:29] This is what she's fought with everybody about and it's because of her really sticking with it and not giving up that we were able to get this bill across the finish line. [11:41] So today was supposed to be a celebration where we would all recognize this pivotal moment in history, the enactment of bipartisan housing legislation that will bring meaningful relief to all of our constituents who are struggling under our nation's housing crisis. [12:00] But today, President Trump has blocked that long overdue bipartisan legislation, slapping millions of hardworking families in the face. [12:10] By refusing this bill and canceling his own signing ceremony, Trump is making his promise clear. [12:22] If you're dealing with high housing costs, you're on your own. [12:27] The dream of home ownership is increasingly out of reach. [12:30] Seniors have been forced to choose between basic necessities of paying for rent, food or medication. [12:38] 800,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in America. [12:45] This is why Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate together, it took us to pass historic housing legislation, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act. [12:57] This bill is not, as the president says, quote, of minor importance. [13:04] Rather, this comprehensive housing legislation began to change the tide for millions of Americans all across the country. [13:14] Where it was previously proven too difficult, Congress has found compromise in the shared goal of putting the needs of our communities first. [13:24] We know the president doesn't care about affordability. [13:28] We know he loves inflation. [13:31] And unfortunately, we know he doesn't care about housing. [13:35] Just like he didn't care about the high prices caused by his tariffs or the high prices caused simply by his war in Iran. [13:45] He may say he's America first, but his track record shows America last. [13:51] Well, Mr. President, Democrats care about high prices. [13:56] And we absolutely care about the high price of housing. [14:00] And we know that every American does as well. [14:04] That's why we worked so hard to pass this bill. [14:07] I applaud my Democratic colleagues on the Committee on Financial Services and, of course, Senator Warren and the Democratic senators on the Housing Committee. [14:18] Your commitment and vision helped shape and move this bill forward. [14:22] Well, I'm also deeply grateful for my close partnership with Chairman Hill. [14:28] We worked in lockstep to keep the bill on course while including every proposal possible to bring relief to our constituents and communities. [14:37] And when Hill and I fell, that's where Senator Warren stepped in. [14:41] And she said, you can do it. You can make it happen. [14:44] There's only one person standing in the way of affordable housing relief for people of this country. [14:50] That person is the President of the United States. [14:53] And I have a message for him. [14:55] Mr. President, sign the damn bill. [14:57] Whoa! [14:59] And if you don't, get ready for a veto override. [15:03] All right! [15:04] Ladies and gentlemen, let me just say, we have worked very hard over a year. [15:10] And I want to tell you, one of the things that I learned about what we were doing was this. [15:16] That the experience that we collectively have, have taught us some of the impediments to getting housing done. [15:24] And so we brought all that to the forefront. [15:27] We helped people to understand what we were talking about when we talked about RAD, [15:33] when we talked about converting commercial buildings into livable residence, [15:38] when we talked about things that really didn't get dealt with well enough or deep enough, [15:45] perhaps in past years, in order to get the job done. [15:49] Now we really know and we're pushing for the locals, the mayors, and the city councils to do their part. [15:58] They have not only the responsibility, but they have the authority to deal with land use. [16:05] And so in this bill, we are creating a database of all of the vacant land in this country, [16:12] controlled by local governments, by metros, by everybody who controls vacant land that does not have to be given out at market value even. [16:23] I discovered in my own city of L.A. that Metro owns land and it does not have to get market value for it. [16:31] Think of what we could do to bring down the cost of the acquisition for land for those who want to develop affordable housing. [16:40] And so what we've done is we've taken our collective knowledge and our collective experience and we've put it to work. [16:48] And we had to give a little here and there. And we had to give a little. And we've done that. [16:54] We've taken. We've given. We have worked out. We've done everything. [16:58] And I want to tell you on that call that almost our last call that Senator Warren made to me. [17:06] And we came to a lot of conclusions. But I had to find Hill. He was on Codell somewhere. [17:12] I said, find him. I don't care where he is. Get him. Because we have to tell him what is about to happen. [17:18] And so we found him. And he caved. And so I hate to use the word caved, but he cooperated. [17:27] And so with that cooperation, we were able to come to where we are today. [17:33] But can you believe that the President of the United States who claimed to support what we were doing [17:39] and said on any number of occasions that he supported? Can you understand that Johnson got out in front and supported it? [17:47] Can you understand that Elizabeth Warren had everybody all wrapped up on the Senate side before we even started? [17:53] That this President can now come to the point where he said, oh, I changed my mind. [17:59] Well, you better get your mind together, Mr. President, because we are going forward. [18:04] We want this bill. This bill is necessary for the families in this country. [18:09] It is necessary for the children. It is necessary for the seniors. [18:13] It is necessary for us to get the economy going despite everything that's going on in the President's office. [18:22] We are working. We have done it. We have compromised. We have worked very hard. [18:28] And I think it can change the course of things. There's a crisis. [18:33] And we can change that, redirect that. And in doing so, I'm very proud. [18:39] And I tell you that I, in my own way, have been able to come to some decisions that I thought I could never come to. [18:49] But having worked with Senator Warren and having understood how she not only understands, [18:56] but she was willing to put herself on the line with everything and everybody about this bill. [19:04] And because of that, because of that, we were able to come together. [19:09] Thank you so very much. I'm disappointed, but I'm not giving up. [19:13] You're not giving up. The incomparable Maxine Waters, an institution. [19:20] And next up, the senior senator from the state of Nevada and also one of the members of the Banking Committee [19:29] who pushed hardest to get this bill together and get it over the line, Catherine Cortez Masto. [19:34] Thank you. Thank you, everyone. I'm going to be very brief. As a member of the committee, let me just say thank you to not only the House leaders [19:43] and every member of the committee there on the House side to get this done, but I have to thank our committee members and Elizabeth. [19:49] This is across the finish line because of the work. I know I got the text. I got the calls from her on the weekend, [19:55] everything that she was doing so that we were addressing the issue of housing affordability. [20:00] And let me just bring this back to folks back home, not here in Washington in this bubble where politics is being played, [20:06] where Donald Trump is playing politics at its worst. He is actually hurting the people in my state. [20:11] This is about people in my state who, by the way, and I agree with Maxine, most of the federal government owns 86% of the land in the state of Nevada. [20:20] We have to work with the feds to get housing on federal land. [20:24] So if we are talking about affordable housing, I'm not just talking about workforce housing. [20:30] I'm not just talking about those that need rental housing, senior housing, veterans housing. [20:35] This is all of the above. And if you know anything about putting a more supply of housing in communities, that means you have to finance it and put it together. [20:44] Now, let me just say, putting finance together for housing is like making lasagna. [20:49] There are several ingredients and it doesn't always come out the same way. [20:52] But I'll tell you this, part of what we did in this bill was to make that financing available. [20:58] And part of that is actually improving upon the Home Investment Partnerships Program. [21:03] That is the largest block grant, affordable housing block grant we have that comes through HUD. [21:08] And we reformed it in this bill to bring those finances into our communities to build housing. [21:13] And by the way, if you are a member of a manufactured home, if you own a manufactured home, if you're part of that community, [21:19] there is provisions in this bill to help you with your manufactured home. [21:23] I mean, it helps urban areas, rural areas, tribal areas. [21:28] That's why this is so important. And I want people back home to know this is about you. [21:32] We've heard your voices. We understand the challenges you're facing. [21:36] And this is written with those your voices in mind and your thoughts and the ideas that you had about how we address this across the country. [21:45] The challenge we have now is a president who wants to pay politics with your lives because he's got a big ego. [21:51] And he doesn't really care about addressing your concerns. [21:55] So I'm with my colleagues 100% when we say now, Mr. President, it is time to think beyond yourself and sign the bill. [22:03] Thank you. [22:04] All right. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Cortez Masto. [22:07] And next up is Reverend Senator Warnock. [22:11] Right here. [22:12] Right here. The Reverend. Have at it. [22:14] 18 months into Donald Trump's second term and life is worse for everybody except the ultra wealthy, the ultra wealthy. [22:29] Ordinary people aren't able to make this economy work. [22:34] And today this president had an opportunity to do something for ordinary people, for working Americans. [22:44] And instead, he has managed once again to make the story about himself. [22:51] I'm perturbed. I'm annoyed that instead of talking about housing, we're standing here talking about Donald Trump. [23:02] He is so obsessed with himself that he keeps tripping over himself, which is a deep problem. [23:11] But it has serious implications for everyday people. [23:16] Here he here he is on a day stage for him to take credit for legislation. [23:21] He did little to shape. [23:24] He still made he still managed to make the story about what's going on with Donald Trump. [23:31] And so that's a sad irony. [23:33] The bill that he refused to sign today would have given a leg up to Americans who have been exploited by corporate landlords. [23:40] Ordinary people looking to buy a home cannot compete with billionaires and trillionaires. [23:50] The average age of somebody buying a first time home is age 40. [23:55] That's something we could have begun to fix today. [23:59] Still more we need to do on top of this bill. [24:02] But this would have been an excellent start. [24:04] And once again, the president has muddied the waters. [24:10] And so I want to be very clear because right now is one of the biggest times of the year to buy a home. [24:16] And so here's what is at stake for everyday people. [24:19] If you are buying a home today, we had the opportunity to stop giant corporations from competing against your offer. [24:28] The president refused to help you. [24:32] If a house on your block is being sold, the president could have made sure that that home went to a family instead of some out of state corporate landlord. [24:41] And once again, the president refused to help you. [24:46] If you are getting an appraisal for your home and you think that appraisal is too low and you want some recourse, we had language in this bill to address that. [24:56] And the president refused to help you. [25:00] My colleagues and I fought to protect the very people this president exploits every day. [25:07] I'm proud of the bill that we delivered for the people of Georgia. [25:13] The Road to Housing Act should have been a major win for everyday Americans. [25:21] This bipartisan piece of legislation. [25:24] I mean, Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren walked into a bar. [25:30] Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. [25:34] It wasn't really a bar. [25:36] But they came together and we got this done. [25:41] And so I would encourage those in the House to send the bill to the president. [25:45] Yeah. [25:48] Now it's on the Speaker of the House. [25:50] It's on the leadership of the House to decide if they're going to stand with the American people or they're going to stand with Donald Trump. [25:56] Send him the bill. [25:57] Yeah. [25:59] And force him to decide. [26:01] If you don't send him the bill, that means you're standing with him rather than the people in your own district. [26:09] We know who Donald Trump is in a real sense. [26:11] This is about who the rest of us are. [26:13] And so we will continue to fight for this. [26:17] The president has decided that the SAVE Act is what's really important. [26:23] Think about that. [26:24] The SAVE Act, a voter suppression bill. [26:27] The SAVE Act, which focuses on solving a problem that does not exist. [26:32] He's put that in front of a bill that's looking to solve a problem that people on both sides of the aisle and every American knows is a real problem. [26:42] If he were as focused on the housing of ordinary Americans as he is on renovating the house he temporarily occupies, fixing that house, tearing up that house, adding a ballroom to that house while you're trying to buy a house, while you're trying to build a future for yourself and your family. [27:14] He's trying to hold on to power. [27:16] The people I know in Georgia are just trying to hold on. [27:20] Somebody ought to tell the president of the United States that he is a temporary resident of public housing. [27:29] It's not his house. [27:31] And he ought to get focused on making sure that the American people can buy a house and can afford rent. [27:38] He ought to think about us for a change. [27:40] Thank you. [27:41] And now the senior senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen. [27:47] I want to start by thanking Elizabeth Warren and Maxine Waters for your incredible leadership. [27:57] Thank you all and to my colleagues here. [28:00] All of our constituents are feeling the squeeze. [28:04] We know that Americans all over the country are having trouble making ends meet. [28:09] And nowhere is that true that when it comes to the lack of affordable housing. [28:15] And that's why this bill is so important, because it will make a difference. [28:22] It will increase the supply of affordable housing. [28:24] It will end the racket where hedge fund owners and billionaires are buying up houses so that they can profit while others are shut out of the market or have to pay higher and higher prices. [28:38] It will provide more affordable housing for people who put their lives at risk for the rest of us, for the veterans in this country. [28:45] It will do all of that and much more. [28:48] And into that important mix, Donald Trump throws a stick of dynamite to blow things up. [28:57] One of the very few true statements Donald Trump has made is that he doesn't think about the financial situation of the American people. [29:08] He is proving that again today. [29:14] He has said that he loves inflation. [29:16] And he is making it happen every day, including through his across the board tariffs. [29:25] And it will be news to the American people when Trump says that the affordability issue, including the lack of affordable housing, is a democratic hoax. [29:36] Because Americans all over the country know it's not a hoax because they're feeling the reality of that affordability crisis in their pocketbooks. [29:46] So that's why it's such a shame that Donald Trump has once again taken an action that's going to hurt the American people. [29:58] And as Senator Warnock said, we should understand why he did it. [30:02] He did it because he said he wants to pass the so-called Save America Act, which is a fraudulent named bill. [30:11] It is his attempt to rig the midterm elections. [30:15] That's what it's all about. [30:16] He wants to make it harder for millions of American citizens to cast their votes. [30:21] In fact, what he said, as a matter of public record, is this will, quote, guarantee the midterm elections for Republicans. [30:30] So I want everybody around the country to understand what President Trump's priorities are. [30:35] He wants to pass a fraudulent bill to try to rig the elections for himself and Republicans in November rather than provide important relief to people's pocketbooks in the form of more affordable housing. [30:51] That tells you all you need to know about the president. [30:54] And as was said, the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, they damn well better send him that bill and not sit on it as the affordability crisis gets worse and worse by the day. [31:08] Because we know if they send it, one of two things will happen. [31:13] He signs it or he vetoes it. [31:16] If he vetoes it, we have shown we have a bipartisan majority to override that veto. [31:22] So to the leaders, Republican leaders in the House and the Senate, send him the damn bill. [31:29] We're going to get this done one way or another. [31:32] And I want to thank everybody who's been part of that effort. [31:35] Chris, and next up, Congressman Brad Sherman. [31:41] What Donald Trump did today is as putrid as his algae-infested reflecting pool. [31:52] But I saw him do this a year and a half ago. [31:58] I represent the Pacific Palisades. [32:02] And he came out in the first week of his presidency and said, I'm going to hold the fire victims hostage. [32:10] And they're not going to get any federal relief until California changes its voting laws. [32:16] We said no. [32:19] And he went on to something else. [32:21] But now he's trying it again. [32:24] Not just to hold California hostage, not just to hold fire victims hostage, [32:30] but to hold the entire country hostage for his, quote, Save America Act. [32:36] What is that act? [32:37] It's a bill designed to make it much tougher to vote. [32:40] And much of the burden falls on married women whose birth certificates do not match their current name. [32:48] His effort to take over the voting systems of 50 states. [32:54] So what is he killing or holding, hopefully not killing permanently, but at least for now killing? [33:00] A bill to make it possible to acquire a home. [33:05] By providing for more construction and changing the permitting process across this country. [33:11] By allowing manufactured housing and modernizing those rules for the first time in over 30 years. [33:19] And by limiting corporate ownership of houses that would be rented but not sold to homeowners. [33:27] And a bill, I said I meant represent the Palisades, to reauthorize the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief Program. [33:40] That needs to be the program to provide aid to the victims of fires in Altadena and the Palisades. [33:46] And victims of disaster in Texas and North Carolina and so many other places. [33:51] So he's holding that hostage. [33:54] But he's doing more. [33:57] Worse. [33:59] He is, because my bill is included in this. [34:02] And that is the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act. [34:06] Disabled American Veterans, wounded in putting their bodies on the line to defend the freedom of you and me. [34:18] They come back and they get disability benefits. [34:23] And then they're told, not that we recognize that obviously it's more expensive to live a life in this country disabled. [34:33] But rather that their disability benefits means that they're not eligible for veterans housing because they, quote, make too much money. [34:42] This bill on a bipartisan basis fixed that inequity. [34:49] And instead there will be veterans, disabled American veterans, sleeping on the streets because of Donald Trump and his desire to take over our elections. [35:02] It's time for the American people to respond this November. [35:05] The American people should take over the elections and say no to Donald Trump. [35:11] Thank you. [35:12] Thank you, Congressman Sherman. [35:17] And now we will hear from someone who's been sounding the alarm about private equity since it first started moving into neighborhoods across America. [35:27] And that's Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon. [35:29] Jeff. [35:30] Thank you. [35:31] Thank you so much. [35:32] You bet. [35:33] Thank you. [35:34] I'm so pleased to stand with these champions. [35:36] You know, it was three and a half decades ago as the director of a branch of Habitat for Humanity. [35:41] I learned the power of homeownership for families, families that had been in basements and in vans or had been shifting from sofa to sofa, [35:49] were able to buy a home through Habitat. [35:51] And I learned something else, that the source of equity is powerful for families. [35:57] In fact, the major source of wealth for middle class families in America, it's not IRAs, retirement plans. [36:05] No, it's equity in homes. [36:07] And that homeownership is stability and it's investment. [36:10] So I paid attention when I started hearing about those hedge funds buying up huge numbers of homes that should have gone to homeowners. [36:19] In Phoenix, 40%, in Atlanta, 40% of the homes for sale. [36:24] And so I proposed this question in my town halls. [36:28] And I do 36 town halls in blue and red counties and purple counties alike. [36:33] And I said, what do you think about these hedge funds competing with your children to buy homes? [36:38] And folks said, that is horrific. [36:41] Those hedge funds, they're offering all cash, no inspection, fast closing. [36:48] Our kids can't compete. [36:50] They're helping extinguish the dream of homeownership. [36:53] Well, with this bill, we're striving to restore the dream of homeownership for American families. [36:59] And isn't that something well worth doing? [37:01] Raphael Warnock jumped in from Georgia, knowing the effects in Atlanta. [37:10] Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. [37:12] And then on the Senate side, this woman, Elizabeth Warren, who has known so much about the challenges of ordinary families trying to survive in our economy, [37:24] which is so hostile to the success of families, took up this cause and took it forward and put it into this bill. [37:32] I couldn't be more pleased that we've taken this up. [37:35] But you know who else paid attention to this issue? [37:37] President Trump. [37:40] In his State of the Union, he was looking for some things that reverberate for blue Americans and red Americans and purple Americans. [37:48] And he said families should own homes, not corporations. [37:52] And you know what? That helped give us some additional momentum on both sides of the aisle. [37:57] But today he took a knife and he put it through the heart of that same concept and said, I'm not doing it. [38:03] Doesn't matter. [38:04] Minor bill. [38:05] Who cares about homeownership? [38:06] Who cares about rents that are pressing families to the wall? [38:09] So we have one message today, and that is, Mr. President, sign this bill. [38:17] And that's what we're going to keep pressing for. [38:20] I see the sign over here. Can somebody pull that sign forward for just a second? [38:24] Bring it on up here. [38:25] Wall Street firms have bought up hundreds of thousands of homes. [38:30] But for the first time ever, Congress passed a bill to stop private equity from buying up those homes. [38:35] Let's empower the American family through fair rents and through homeownership and help put America back on track. [38:43] Thank you. [38:44] Thank you. [38:47] Thank you, Senator Merkley. [38:48] And next up is someone who has been in the trenches for decades, fighting for economic equality for all of our families and particularly on the housing front. [39:00] A real leader in this area, Congressman Cleaver. [39:03] Congratulations. [39:07] Let me, first of all, declare that I'm not going to allow the president or anybody or anything else to destroy my joy for this passage of legislation. [39:36] Maxine Waters gave me the okay to continue to meet with Mike Flood from Nebraska over almost a year and a half period working on this bill. [39:55] And so I'm not going to let the president win my joy. [39:58] I was thinking of a big word I wanted to use for an occasion like this, and I didn't go to a really good school. [40:07] So I have trouble with a big word, but I finally came. [40:11] I want to declare to you that I am hippopotamusly happy that we were able to pass this legislation and all of the advocacy groups. [40:26] Many of you are here. [40:27] Thank you for all that you did. [40:30] We had an all day hearing. [40:32] Just Mike flooded me from early morning until late at night with advocacy groups from all over the nation. [40:40] Linus is in the living room watching television. [40:48] Lucy walks in and she said, Linus, change the channel. [40:54] And Linus says, I'm not changing the channel. [40:58] This is the show I want to watch. [41:02] And she said, Linus, change the channel. [41:05] And he said, I'm not going to do it. [41:09] And she walked over to him and she stuck out her hand and she said, Linus, do you see these five? [41:21] She said, at a moment's notice and proper anger, these five will become this. [41:32] And if you don't change the channel, you will get this. [41:36] He got up and changed the channel. [41:38] And he's walking back to the sofa and he pulls his hand out and said, why can't you guys get together like that? [41:47] We got together on both sides of Capitol Hill. [41:55] We got together with advocacy groups from all over the country. [42:00] Republicans, Democrats, vegetarians, joggers, everybody came together on something that is immensely important. [42:09] We made it happen. [42:10] We came together. [42:11] We are the people who are representing the people. [42:14] The overwhelming majority of the people in this country wanted this bill signed. [42:20] And the man didn't do it. [42:22] But we did our part. [42:25] And we want the word to go forth. [42:27] He didn't. [42:34] I want to echo the appreciation to Senator Warren and Representative Waters and everybody who worked on this bill. [42:42] Right before the threshold of a major 250-year anniversary that we should be greeting with celebrations. [42:51] Instead, this President is trying to use it as a blackmail device, an extortion tool, to just do voter suppression, as so many have already said. [43:01] I think the bottom line is that either the Speaker or the President, or both the Speaker and the President, I guess, need to send this bill to the White House. [43:10] Well, we should adjourn for the Fourth of July, right? [43:13] And we should recognize that they hold it in their hands to make that kind of a push. [43:19] I mean, right when we should be limiting the interest and the power of Wall Street in our housing, instead we're deserting Main Street and letting this lie dormant. [43:32] Instead of diminishing red tape through this bill, we're just allowing them to add red tape to our elections. [43:40] Or we would be allowing that. [43:42] Today, we should be expanding the loan operations for veterans. [43:46] Instead, the President is delaying the housing relief to advance a bill that would make it harder for veterans to be able to qualify for loans and buy housing. [43:55] I think it's clear that the President is about himself. [44:00] He's determined to become the center of attention. [44:02] I think we should short-circuit that. [44:05] And I think the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House had to send this bill over, or we should not adjourn for the Fourth of July. [44:12] I just want to congratulate everyone who has worked on this, Senator Warren. [44:22] I agree with Maxine Waters. [44:25] Mr. President signed the damn bill. [44:27] Okay, we'll just echo what Maxine is saying. [44:29] That's what this is all about. [44:31] It puts controls on private equity so they're not able to control the housing stock in this country and drive up prices. [44:38] It makes it more affordable for young families to be able to get a new home. [44:43] It is just going to be central to who we are as a nation moving forward. [44:47] This is what the American people want us to do. [44:50] This bill is like the Halley's Comet of this Congress. [44:54] Democrats and Republicans coming together working on a bipartisan bill to solve the number one issue in our country. [45:01] Housing and inflation. [45:03] And it's all in one bill and it's been done on a bipartisan basis. [45:07] And what is Donald Trump saying? [45:09] Donald Trump is saying very clearly that the SAVE Act, the SAVE Act which suppresses the votes of women, of minorities, of young people in our country, [45:19] so that he does not have a Democratic House and Senate after this November, is more important to him than taking care of the housing crisis in our nation. [45:31] It's really not the SAVE Act. [45:33] It's to save the Republicans' Asses Act. [45:35] It's to save the Donald Trump presidency from subpoenas from the House and Senate Act. [45:41] That's what it's all about. [45:42] And what is the price that it's going to be paid? [45:44] The price is the housing crisis in our country, which will not go addressed. [45:51] Well, we're not going away. [45:53] We're here. [45:54] He's not going away. [45:55] We're not going away. [45:56] Mr. President, get ready for a fight. [45:58] And we're going to take it to the streets of our country. [46:00] Thank you all so much for being out here. [46:02] I mean, I'll hear thank you, advocates, for everything that you are doing. [46:05] Thank you. [46:06] Thank you very much for the very kind and warm introduction. [46:19] Let me start by indicating that I would like to thank the Ws. [46:25] The Ws have made a difference. [46:27] The Ws have worked together. [46:30] The Ws are Warren and Waters. [46:35] Can we give them a big expression of appreciation for what they have done to make a difference? [46:42] I will be pithy and concise, but I have to say something that may take longer than I'd like. [46:49] Yes, all of the things that have been said are things that I agree with. [46:53] I agree with all of my colleagues and associate myself with what they've said. [46:58] But there's something in addition that has to be said, and it is this. [47:03] If you have a place to call home, if you have a house, whether you're renting or you have a mortgage, [47:11] in September, October, the storms are likely to come the way of many of us. [47:21] And when they do, those homes, those places that you're living in, you're renting, they can be damaged. [47:29] And when they are damaged, you expect the government to respond positively to your harm that you are suffering. [47:37] Well, this bill contains the Disaster Recovery Act, reforming the Disaster Recovery Act. [47:47] That's right. [47:48] This bill contains what it will take to make you whole after you have suffered a natural disaster. [47:55] Unfortunately, the disaster that you are suffering currently is not a natural disaster. [48:03] It's not an act of God. [48:05] It is an act of the President of the United States, and he must be brought to justice for what he is doing today. [48:12] We have to stand against him. [48:13] Will you stand against the President of the United States? [48:17] That's the question. [48:18] Do you have the courage to become we the people and do that which only we the people can do? [48:28] And that is deny him what he perceives to be the power to destroy the rules that conduct the way we do business. [48:39] He believes that he is the methodology by which things get done. [48:46] He believes that if he says so and we say no, it must be done. [48:54] Well, Mr. President, we the people have assembled today, and we the people have a demand, not a request. [49:02] Our demand is that you sign the bill. [49:05] I never use words like D-A-M, but today I'm going to make an exception. [49:12] This is a big act. [49:14] My mother, God bless you, Mom, please forgive me, okay? [49:17] But Maxine Waters has said it, and Max, I'm going to join you for the first time. [49:23] You know I always say I don't always adopt your language. [49:27] So I'm going to say it. [49:31] Sign the bill. [49:34] Thank you. [49:36] We're so fortunate to have a team like this that fights. [49:44] And now we have the incomparable Congresswoman Beatty. [49:48] Please join us. [49:52] Thank you to Senator Warren, to Congresswoman Maxine Waters. [49:57] Message to the American people. [49:59] Today we should be celebrating the signing of our housing bill. [50:05] But he has just put that on pause. [50:07] But Donald Trump, you cannot put on pause our fighting. [50:12] Because when we fight, we win. [50:14] And I know a little bit about winning. [50:18] Democrats and Republicans in both House and the Senate came together to pass one of the most significant bipartisan housing packages in years. [50:30] A landmark bill designed to expand affordable housing, strengthen community lenders, and help more Americans achieve the American dream of home ownership. [50:43] Instead, Donald Trump decided to put himself first and hard working families last. [50:50] At the 11th hour, Trump pulled the plug on housing relief because he wants Congress to prioritize his Extreme Save Act. [51:02] Now, let me make it clear. [51:03] The Save Act is a voter suppression bill. [51:09] And it is as simple as that. [51:11] And the bill doesn't have the votes, nor does it have anything to do with housing. [51:17] Think about it. [51:18] Think about it. [51:19] Donald Trump wants the spotlight for himself. [51:23] He isn't really about housing. [51:25] It's not about affordability or lowering housing costs. [51:29] It's not about making life more affordable for hard working families. [51:34] Simply, it's all about him while families are struggling with rising rents and home prices. [51:42] Congress has done its job. [51:44] And we're standing here today to say we will not be held hostage for political purposes. [51:51] The American people are tired of political games. [51:56] They want affordable homes. [51:58] They want opportunities. [51:59] They want progress. [52:01] So, Mr. Green, I'm going to say the words that I've heard Senator Warren and Congresswoman Maxine say and others. [52:10] They want progress. [52:11] And it's time, Donald Trump, to sign the damn bill. [52:16] Thank you. [52:18] Congresswoman. [52:20] And next up, a very hard working member of the Senate Banking Committee who's been in there fighting for some of the strongest provisions in this bill, Senator Ruben Gallego. [52:32] Thank you. [52:33] Thank you. [52:36] This is the bill. [52:38] This is the bill that the President can sign today that will give access to millions of Americans to have affordable housing, whether it's to buy a starter home, buy a manufactured home, get into an affordable rental. [52:53] This is what the President is rejecting. [52:56] We took one of the most bipartisan bills led by a ranking member, Warren, and Republicans and Democrats. [53:03] We worked together for a year and a half. [53:05] It was an inspiration to see coming from the House. [53:07] No offense to my House people. [53:08] It was great to be a senator and seeing that I could work across the aisle with my Republican friends for something that we heard in 2024. [53:14] Democrats and Republicans, no matter where we went, people were saying, I want to make sure I can buy a house. [53:20] I want to make sure my kids can buy a house. [53:22] I want to make sure that if something happens, my family can have an affordable apartment. [53:27] We heard that. [53:28] Both Democrats and Republicans heard that, and we worked in a bipartisan manner, and it was destroyed in a total partisan manner for partisan reasons. [53:37] America is hurting right now. [53:39] America really wants the ability to have stability. [53:42] Let me tell you, it matters. [53:44] I didn't have the best of housing situations growing up. [53:47] For many years, I had to sleep on the floor, but my mom had one apartment that we had stable apartment that kept us all in the same school district for eight years for four kids. [53:58] That made a difference. [53:59] That made a difference. [54:00] There are millions of Americans that are just trying to have that same amount of stability, and we, Democrats and Republicans, try to bring that today. [54:09] But the president is standing in the way and be encouraged by some House Republicans. [54:14] So to encourage some movement over there, I'm going to block all Republican bills. [54:19] They're going to try to come to the Senate through UC until the Road to Housing Act passes. [54:25] Thank you. [54:26] Senator Gallego and now Congressman Juan Vargas. [54:34] Thank you. [54:35] Thank you, Senator. [54:36] Thank you. [54:37] I want to thank Senator Warren. [54:39] I want to thank Congresswoman Waters. [54:42] I knew this was going to get done because the women were in charge. [54:45] Yeah! [54:46] Let's be frank. [54:47] I knew the men were going to mess it up, as he is today, but I knew it was going to get done. [54:53] This is absolutely necessary. [54:55] This is a good bill for America. [54:57] It, again, creates these opportunities for people to buy houses that can't afford it. [55:01] It brings the rent down. [55:02] It does all these wonderful things. [55:04] But I know why Donald Trump doesn't want to sign it. [55:08] Because the day he asked one of his aides, what does it do for me? [55:13] He said, well, for you, nothing personal. [55:16] He goes, well, I'm not going to sign it. [55:18] That's the reality. [55:20] That's the sad reality that we're in. [55:23] That's why we have to force them to sign the bill. [55:27] And that's why I know it's going to get done, because I know these two women, they're going to get it done. [55:33] They're going to bug the hell out of him until he finally signs that damn bill. [55:38] Thank you very much. [55:39] She understands how the world works. [55:44] And now we have a woman who has been on the question of why rents are going up so fast in so many parts of the country. [55:56] She's uncovered the problem and helped us put in this bill a way to start dealing with it. [56:02] And that is Congresswoman, Senator, sorry, Senator Amy Klobuchar. [56:07] Thank you, Elizabeth. [56:08] Thank you so much. [56:09] And thank you to you and Maxine and all everyone that worked on it. [56:13] This bill is something to be proud of. [56:15] My state is about 100,000 homes short right now. [56:19] And that includes condos and single family homes and apartments. [56:24] And this bill is our hope because it's going to provide this framework. [56:29] We know that there's new developments with manufactured homes. [56:32] And right now we've got a whole bunch of corporate landlords that are buying those out and making it difficult. [56:38] This bill does something about private equity. [56:41] As Elizabeth referred to, this bill does something when we start going down that road of these algorithms and what's been going on with places like RealPage where landlords have been giving their data on how much the rent is to one sophisticated organization that spits out rents for an entire region. [57:00] And it really comes down to price fixing at a level that you wouldn't have imagined when the antitrust laws were passed. [57:10] That's the kind of thing that's going on in this country as you look at what's happening. [57:14] What I love about this bill is it's focused on supply. [57:17] So it has a market-based approach. [57:19] There you go. [57:20] There you go. [57:21] It has a market-based approach of adding more housing. [57:24] And we know that's going to bring down mortgages. [57:27] It's going to bring down rents. [57:29] So I'll just end with my story. [57:31] My parents didn't have a lot of money. [57:33] My dad got a GI loan. [57:34] My mom was a teacher. [57:35] He was a brand-new reporter. [57:37] And they got a house on 1315 Oakview Lane in Plymouth, Minnesota on a dirt road. [57:42] They built that house. [57:44] To the end, never had a dishwasher. [57:47] It had one bathroom. [57:49] But that was the house that we loved. [57:51] And my mom lived in that house until she died. [57:53] And in that house, a lot of things happened. [57:56] I graduated from high school. [57:58] I got to come back and see my mom all the time. [58:01] She added an addition. [58:03] I used her money from her teacher's pension to build a porch. [58:07] And then when my parents got divorced for years, I'd say, [58:10] You better like sitting out on that porch because I have to keep working until I'm 70 to pay for it. [58:16] That was that house. [58:18] So much happened in that house. [58:19] And everyone deserves a stable home like I had growing up. [58:24] A home we loved. [58:25] That's what this bill is about at his heart. [58:27] And Donald Trump called Elizabeth after she gave a speech at the press club about this bill and said, [58:32] Hey, I want to work with you. [58:34] She took it to heart. [58:35] House, Senate, work together. [58:37] And now we have this bill. [58:39] He cannot walk away with it. [58:41] He cannot walk away from it. [58:42] He's got to sign this bill. [58:44] And while he's obsessing about cage matches and algae and reflecting pools, a lot of Americans don't have a home. [58:51] And this is the time to get it done. [58:53] Thanks. [58:54] Thank you. [58:55] Thank you, Senator Klobuchar. [58:57] Thank you. [58:58] And now a woman who fights harder than anyone I know for the constituents. [59:03] She represents Massachusetts 7th's own Ayanna Pressley. [59:08] Well, aren't I lucky that Elizabeth Warren is my senator. [59:16] I'm so proud to call the Commonwealth of Massachusetts my home. [59:19] And, Senator, you always persist. [59:22] And I thank you. [59:23] And aren't I lucky to be a committee member on financial services in the eight years that I've been in Congress under the leadership of ranking member Maxine Waters, who is always reclaiming our time. [59:35] And I'm so grateful for her indefatigable efforts. [59:38] And I do just want to take a moment also to acknowledge the exhaustive efforts of committee staff and also the staff in our respective offices. [59:47] Instead of our celebrating the road to housing, we are on a road to voter suppression. [59:54] Instead of our celebrating the road to housing, many people in this country will be on a road to struggle, compounded struggle. [1:00:06] Whether I am on a tele-town hall or at a town hall in community in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, which I have the honor of representing, housing is the first, second, and third priority that they raise. [1:00:18] Our students need housing. [1:00:21] Our seniors need housing. [1:00:23] Our veterans need housing. [1:00:25] Young professionals need housing. [1:00:27] Young families need housing. [1:00:30] Everyone needs housing. [1:00:32] It determines health outcomes. [1:00:35] It determines social and economic mobility. [1:00:37] Housing is so much more than shelter. [1:00:40] As my colleagues have articulated here with their powerful shared lived experiences, [1:00:47] housing is about a place of refuge, a place to rest, a place to plan, a place to dream. [1:00:56] So I am so grateful to the leadership of all assembled here, led by Senator Warren and Ranking Member Waters to get us to this moment. [1:01:05] I'm proud that four of my bills were included in this package. [1:01:11] My bill protects renters from abusive corporations. [1:01:14] It addresses racial bias in home appraisals. [1:01:17] We know that black homeownership is the lowest now than it's been for six decades. [1:01:21] And for those that still have their homes, there is a theft that has occurred for decades and are getting the equity that we deserve because of those biases, racial bias and home appraisals. [1:01:33] My bills expand access to affordable housing. [1:01:36] They help families build long term financial stability. [1:01:39] These bills combined with my colleagues will help families not just survive, but to thrive. [1:01:46] This housing bill is long overdue. [1:01:48] It is needed. [1:01:49] It is popular. [1:01:50] It is important. [1:01:51] So I'm going to say, Mike Johnson, do your damn job. [1:01:55] And Donald Trump, sign the damn bill. [1:01:59] All right. [1:02:00] Thank you. [1:02:04] Thank you. [1:02:05] And next up, we have Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, who's been here from the very beginning because she is determined to get this bill passed. [1:02:15] Thank you so much, Senator. [1:02:18] And thank you, Ranking Member Waters. [1:02:20] And, you know, they talked about both of you and the two W's. [1:02:26] But I wanted to add one more. [1:02:28] They're really wonder women, aren't they? [1:02:30] You know the old saying, if you need the job done, you get a woman to do it. [1:02:35] Yeah, there you go. [1:02:36] So thank you to both of you for the leadership. [1:02:39] You know, families in Houston and Senator Warren, you applauded University of Houston, so you know Houston. [1:02:46] And Maxine, your husband, comes from Houston. [1:02:49] We are crushed with a housing shortage just like everyone else across America. [1:02:55] And in my community, when someone finally gets to buy a house, it's a huge celebration. [1:03:01] Because we can finally say, mi casa, su casa. [1:03:05] We take great pride in being able to welcome our family members, our neighbors, our loved ones to our home. [1:03:12] To make them hospitable, to make sure that they have a nurturing place to visit. [1:03:18] That should be the dream for everyone that is reached. [1:03:22] Because right now, that dream is out of reach for everyday Americans. [1:03:27] This bill would help solve that. [1:03:30] This bill is a solution. [1:03:32] It's not just rhetoric and it's not just BS. [1:03:36] It is the real deal. [1:03:38] Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly supported this bill. [1:03:42] It would help build more homes, cut unnecessary delays, and stop big Wall Street investors from buying up homes meant for working families. [1:03:51] But instead of signing it, Donald Trump is throwing one of his damn temper tantrums. [1:03:58] Just this morning, my team got a great video, y'all, of them tearing down that stage. [1:04:05] Everybody was ready, but he's holding up this legislation hostage because he wants Congress to pass his voter suppression bill. [1:04:14] I hope everyone is penetration to his priorities. [1:04:18] The Save American Act will not build one damn home. [1:04:22] It will not lower one's family's rent. [1:04:25] It will only create new barriers between eligible voters and the ballot box. [1:04:31] He wants to make it harder for people to vote, not easier. [1:04:35] The choice could not be clearer. [1:04:37] Trump is choosing voter suppression over lower housing costs. [1:04:43] He is choosing his political power over working families. [1:04:47] Enough with the temper tantrums. [1:04:49] Pick up the pen and sign the damn bill. [1:04:52] Sign the damn bill. [1:04:54] Nice, nice, nice. [1:04:57] And next up, another member of our banking committee who's worked incredibly hard on this bill, [1:05:06] Senator Angela also Brooks. [1:05:11] Well, you know, it stands to reason that we were brought here today by two super bad women. [1:05:17] I want to thank them both, Senator Warren and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. [1:05:22] I want to thank both of them for their leadership. [1:05:24] But it is sad and frustrating that we're here yet again. [1:05:28] You know, it feels like we wake up in our country every morning to at least one despicable act per day. [1:05:34] We have a person leading our country whose depravity, I tell you, continues to make all of our jaws drop. [1:05:42] And today is yet another example of it. [1:05:44] I'm reminded of my parents and the dream that they were able to have in this country. [1:05:50] You know, they married at 21 and 22 years old. [1:05:53] My father, the car salesman. [1:05:55] My mother, who was a receptionist. [1:05:57] I'm going to tell one big family secret. [1:05:59] My mom was the cougar in the relationship. [1:06:01] She got herself a younger man. [1:06:03] But they were able to have a dream. [1:06:06] And the dream was that they would have a home where they would be able to raise their children and enjoy family together. [1:06:12] Five years of their marriage, they were able to afford a modest home. [1:06:17] Where have we come to in our country where we accept now that our children and grandchildren aren't able to dream even as well as their parents, great grandparents and grandparents were. [1:06:30] My daughter at 21 years old is looking now at a statistic that says the age of a first time home buyer is 40. [1:06:38] And because she's an African-American woman, it's 48 years old in this country. [1:06:43] How shameful is that? [1:06:45] And when we have now a solution in all of the division and chaos of the day, thank goodness we had a bipartisan effort. [1:06:53] Eighty five people voted. [1:06:55] Eighty five voted in support of a bill that would allow us for the first time in over 30 years to address an issue that I agree with my colleagues. [1:07:05] I can't go anywhere in my state, whether it's Mountain, Maryland, whether it's Upper Marlboro, every part of my state. [1:07:11] The issue is the same. [1:07:12] We want to be able to afford a home. [1:07:15] The college students say we want to be able to afford the cost of housing. [1:07:20] And so here we have a solution. [1:07:22] And what do we have? [1:07:23] Our man child of a president who today again woke up your right with another tantrum and was able to double down on the sentiment that has been true every day that he's been there. [1:07:33] He does not give a rat's ass about Americans, about the cost of living, about whether we're able to afford it. [1:07:40] And we know now there's a consistent theme. [1:07:42] He could care less. [1:07:44] That's what he continues to communicate to us in no uncertain terms is that he could care less. [1:07:51] And so on a day where he could have done the honorable thing to honor the work that's been done here to actually think for just one day about the American people and what it would take for them to live and to afford the cost of housing. [1:08:05] And he once again failed us. [1:08:07] He has failed us again and again. [1:08:09] The betrayal is so deep and so rich, you know, while he and all of his friends are in their continuing smash and grab where they have loot hanging all out of their pockets. [1:08:21] He has enriched himself, enriched his family, enriched his friends and can't do a damn thing for the American people and could care less. [1:08:28] And so how despicable this is. [1:08:30] And this is going to happen. [1:08:32] It is going to happen. [1:08:33] We're going to get this bill passed. [1:08:35] Well, it's already been passed. [1:08:36] We're going to get it signed. [1:08:37] And we're going to have the American people have exactly what we intend for them to have. [1:08:41] That is, I'm so proud of the parts of the bill I was able to work on. [1:08:44] One would deal with an issue that has been really prevalent in my state, an issue around appraisal bias. [1:08:50] Too many families and counties like mine in Prince George's County deal with an issue around appraisal bias. [1:08:56] This bill addresses it. [1:08:58] It also allows banks to make greater investments in affordable housing, something they have requested and wanted for a very long time. [1:09:05] And it also has a provision in the bill, which allows those of modest income to actually have a source of funding to make repairs on their homes so that they can keep their homes. [1:09:15] So this bill is a substantive bill. [1:09:17] It's one that the American people need today, cannot wait any longer for. [1:09:22] And we're going to make sure it happens. [1:09:24] And I will double down on the sentiment that he needs to sign the damn bill, get over himself, sign the damn bill. [1:09:31] Nice job, Angela. [1:09:34] And next up, someone who is not on the Senate Banking Committee, [1:09:39] but really good ideas about how we can make more housing more affordable in America. [1:09:48] So we just pick up his ideas anyway, Senator Chris Coons. [1:09:51] The road to housing. [1:09:58] On the far side of the road to housing is a destination. [1:10:02] Safe, sanitary, decent, accessible, affordable housing. [1:10:06] That's the platform on which all stable, successful families rest. [1:10:11] If you want to deal with criminality and violence, build more affordable housing. [1:10:17] If you want to deal with childhood disease and difficulties, deliver more quality housing. [1:10:23] If you want more manufacturing jobs, you want higher quality jobs, you want a higher quality of education, you want a higher quality of community, deliver better, more affordable housing. [1:10:35] At the end of the day, everything Americans want out of their communities is improved by delivering more safe, sanitary, decent, accessible and affordable housing. [1:10:44] Senator also Brooks, who just spoke, was a county executive. [1:10:47] I was a county executive. [1:10:49] My county was half a million people. [1:10:51] We did a huge amount of housing policy in the decade I was in county government. [1:10:55] And I am so excited to be here celebrating the road to housing. [1:11:00] I'm grateful to Senator Warren and to Congresswoman Waters, Ranking Member Waters, Ranking Member Warren. [1:11:06] I was excited for us to celebrate this bill signing. [1:11:10] But the road to housing has just taken a detour, not a U-turn. [1:11:14] There is no way that this big, bold bipartisan bill won't become law. [1:11:19] It solves too many problems. [1:11:21] When I'm home in Delaware, what I hear from people is the rent's too damn high. [1:11:25] I can't buy a home. [1:11:26] It's squeezing out everything else. [1:11:28] More than 40% of renters in Delaware spend more than a third of their income on rent. [1:11:33] That's not affordable. [1:11:35] In my county of half a million people, we need 50,000 more units for us to get to a place of affordable and accessible housing. [1:11:43] So I'm not a housing authorizer. [1:11:46] I'm a housing appropriator. [1:11:47] My colleague from Delaware, Lisa Blunt Rochester, is on the committee, contributed several bills to this package. [1:11:53] I worked with the Republican Senator Kramer to contribute a bill about encouraging private sector landlords to join affordable housing programs, streamlining permitting and inspection processes. [1:12:05] There are so many good, substantive, concrete ideas on this bill around financing, building, zoning and permitting, keeping Wall Street out of housing, and getting families into housing. [1:12:19] And I know this. [1:12:21] This is the number one driver of affordability in every state in our country. [1:12:26] There is no way that our president's detour today will not get us back on track sooner or later when he makes up his mind the right way. [1:12:34] Our problem today is not House Democrats. [1:12:37] It's not Senate Democrats. [1:12:38] It's not even House Republicans. [1:12:40] It's not even Senate Republicans. [1:12:42] This bill passed the Senate by 85 votes. [1:12:45] It's just one man who changed his mind at the last minute. [1:12:48] And inevitably, if the American people keep speaking up as loudly as they've been speaking in my state and in your states and in your districts, there is no way he can resist the temptation to ultimately return to the road to housing and deliver on this important, substantial, bipartisan bill. [1:13:09] I look forward to celebrating that day with all of you. [1:13:11] Thank you. [1:13:12] Thank you. [1:13:13] Thank you. [1:13:14] Thank you. [1:13:15] Thank you, Senator Coons. [1:13:16] And next up, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. [1:13:18] Thank you so much, Senator. [1:13:19] You bet. [1:13:20] Good to have you. [1:13:21] Thank you to my forever Chairwoman Maxine Waters for her continued effort to always remind us over and over again that housing is a human right. [1:13:29] You know, I just have questions for this president. [1:13:31] Has he ever spoken to a senior citizen who wants to age in place? [1:13:35] I have. [1:13:36] Too many of them, again, are being priced out of their communities, but some of them can't stay in their historic, beautiful homes, the neighborhood that they raised their children, the neighborhood where their family and friends are. [1:13:46] I have spoken to so many of my seniors that want to see a bill like this passed. [1:13:51] I don't know if this president has ever spoken to a public school teacher. [1:13:55] 18 years he's been teaching our children who cannot afford a house and he's in his 40s. [1:14:01] His dream is to be able to have a stable home instead of continuing to pay high cost of rent in the Metro Detroit area. [1:14:10] From Detroit to Little Rock, Arkansas, everyone deserves access to housing. [1:14:16] And I know in Michigan we lost more black homeownership than any state in the country. [1:14:22] I know that homeownership helps stabilize families and communities. [1:14:27] This is why I helped introduce the Housing Our Communities Act, which is part of this package. [1:14:32] This is to help local communities build capacity to expedite inspections to be able to, again, have the resources they need to push forward real affordable housing for our families. [1:14:43] So it's shameful that this president has decided to put himself first and his feelings first instead of, again, the needs of many of our families. [1:14:52] That senior citizen, those years are passing by every single year. [1:14:56] Every single year she is waiting, waiting for us to invest in housing like this. [1:15:01] She is waiting for us to make it easier for her to stay in the neighborhood again that she raised her family in. [1:15:06] The same thing with our public servants, from our teachers to our nurses. [1:15:10] I've talked to all of them. [1:15:13] And many of my colleagues know this. [1:15:14] From home repair to housing, it is always one of the top issues that come up in our town halls. [1:15:19] So shame on this president. [1:15:21] Shame on him for brushing aside this incredibly important work. [1:15:24] And, you know, for many of the American people out there that may not share my political views, I know this. [1:15:30] One thing that we can always agree on is housing is a right. [1:15:34] Housing should be easier in our country, especially in the richest country in the world. [1:15:39] So, again, I ask everybody to really raise their voices. [1:15:43] In Detroit, we learn from community mothers, and Maxine Waters knows this. [1:15:46] It is the outside agitation, the outside movement that moves this Congress and moves the White House. [1:15:52] That's how we got the Civil Rights Act. [1:15:54] That's how we got the right to organize unions. [1:15:56] It is when you all, the American people, raise your voices and say, sign the damn bill. [1:16:01] Thank you. [1:16:02] I love this. [1:16:03] I'm the damn bill. [1:16:04] And our last speaker from Oregon, Congresswoman Bynum. [1:16:09] Good afternoon, everyone. [1:16:15] I'm Janelle Bynum. [1:16:16] I proudly represent Oregon's 5th Congressional District. [1:16:19] And I'm here today. [1:16:21] I came to Washington because I'm a mom that's concerned. [1:16:26] I'm a mom of four kids. [1:16:29] And I want them to be able to live down the street and not downstairs. [1:16:35] That is the issue. [1:16:38] Four kids, they're going to come of age. [1:16:41] We want them to have choices. [1:16:43] Today, we should be standing here celebrating a new landmark housing bill. [1:16:48] We should be celebrating a historic investment that builds more homes. [1:16:53] We should be celebrating that millions more Americans will be able to buy a home. [1:16:58] Fast hands. [1:16:59] But we're not because of one man, Donald Trump, and his ego. [1:17:05] The American people right now are being robbed of this important progress. [1:17:11] Republicans and Democrats came together to deliver a solution to one of the most pressing issues facing the American people. [1:17:19] But the president has chosen not to sign it. [1:17:22] This bill, and I asked, how many pages is it? [1:17:26] Anybody got a guess? [1:17:28] Over 374 pages of wins for the American people. [1:17:35] 374. [1:17:38] That's one for every day of the year. [1:17:41] But he'd rather take away your voting rights. [1:17:46] And that tells you everything you need to know about the president's priorities. [1:17:51] This BS is exactly why the American people believe that the system is broken. [1:17:58] They know it is broken. [1:18:00] Even my daughter that is comfortably housed right now still comes over to our house every weekend and shops in our grocery store. [1:18:11] The Bynum grocery store at my house. [1:18:14] Because they know the system is rigged. [1:18:19] Young people are aware that it is just not fair in this country. [1:18:25] And this was one of the pieces of hope that we could give them that we were solving the problems. [1:18:31] You, the people, especially the young people, you deserve so much better than what you're being offered right now. [1:18:42] You deserve to be able to buy a home in a community that you can afford and one where you want to live. [1:18:48] Moms prefer that you live down the street so we can hug and kiss the babies. [1:18:54] We can make you dinner. [1:18:55] We can invite you over on Sunday and you can go back home. [1:18:58] You deserve a president and a Congress that can deliver real solutions to our biggest problems. [1:19:05] Mr. President, as you've heard many times today, and I know that you are watching, sign the damn bill. [1:19:16] Let me be clear. [1:19:20] This is happening whether you like it or not. [1:19:25] The will of the people is stronger than the ego of the president. [1:19:31] We will win this fight together. [1:19:34] All right. [1:19:36] All right. [1:19:37] Step up here. [1:19:38] The damn bill. [1:19:39] I know that everybody's been here a long time, but that's because we had so many people who wanted to speak up on this bill. [1:19:46] We're here to take a few questions, if anybody has questions. [1:19:49] Sure. [1:19:50] Maxine, it starts at the house. [1:20:16] Well, yeah, let me just say that we certainly will speak to Johnson about the bill. [1:20:23] Because when you take a look, look constitutionally at how it all works, the 10 days began at the time that the bill is transferred from the speaker to the president. [1:20:36] And so we want to make sure we get with him and understand what his thoughts are, what he intends to do, whether or not he's looking for some advice from us. [1:20:44] But our whole effort would be, as we've all said today, we want to get the damn bill signed. [1:20:50] Right. [1:20:51] Look, everyone is afraid that Trump is going to try to interfere in the midterm elections. [1:21:04] That's not some kind of secret. [1:21:07] People are worried about this. [1:21:09] But let's be clear. [1:21:11] Right now, we're just doing the standard best work of Congress, and that is putting together a bill that solves a real problem. [1:21:21] And we've done that in an incredibly bipartisan way, bicameral way, House and Senate. [1:21:29] And Donald Trump wakes up this morning and evidently ate something bad during the night and had to start his day with a tantrum. [1:21:40] And that tantrum means that we're not starting right now on getting this housing bill underway. [1:21:48] And I can't underline this enough times. [1:21:51] We are in a housing emergency. [1:21:54] We should have been making changes years ago, but we are where we are. [1:21:59] Nobody's got the way back machine. [1:22:01] But what we can do is get this housing bill through and get it through now. [1:22:07] And that's what we're going to keep pushing our Republican colleagues to do and saying to the president of the United States, as Maxine Waters led us, pass the damn bill. [1:22:17] Of course you can. [1:22:22] There is one additional thing that we the people can do, and that is let the president know that you want the bill signed. [1:22:32] We the people can call the White House. [1:22:34] We the people can write and email the president. [1:22:38] We the people can make the difference. [1:22:42] But for we the people to make that difference, you the press will have to carry the message and let we the people know that the Congress has done its job, the House and the Senate, and we the people now can make the difference. [1:22:56] I ask that we the people contact your president. [1:23:00] And thank you, Elizabeth Warren. [1:23:02] I'm going to leave now. [1:23:04] But I want to thank you so much for the leadership that you've provided. [1:23:09] I want to thank you so much how you worked so hard to get the cooperation from everybody that you could possibly get it from. [1:23:17] I want to thank you for your insistence that we get together and we take a look at what was needed and to decide to make some decisions. [1:23:27] We did that and it worked and we're here and we produced the bill and the president of the United States knows that. [1:23:36] And when someone asked the question, what do we do next? [1:23:39] I think Mr. Green was on it. [1:23:41] And that is saying organize, protest, work, get together, make your voices heard. [1:23:47] Do all of that. [1:23:48] If we do that, we can get the damn bill passed. [1:23:52] Right. [1:23:53] Thank you. [1:23:54] Thank you. [1:23:55] Thank you. [1:23:56] Thank you so much. [1:23:57] Thank you. [1:23:58] Thank you. [1:23:59] Thank you all for being here. [1:24:00] Oh, we got one more. [1:24:01] Remember, this bill has nearly 50 different parts to it and they're going to start clicking in at different points. [1:24:19] So, for example, reducing the cost of building manufactured housing. [1:24:27] That's going to happen immediately because we're changing the federal rules on access to financing. [1:24:32] Experts estimate that we're going to bring down the cost of manufactured housing by about $10,000 per unit. [1:24:41] And also, that means we're going to have more places, more ways to use manufactured housing. [1:24:47] That starts right away. [1:24:49] Other pieces will take some time. [1:24:51] There are places where HUD has to write a set of rules around it. [1:24:55] There are places where the kick in date is further down the line. [1:25:00] But the part I want you to remember about this is that all the pieces head in the same direction. [1:25:07] Every piece in here does one of two things. [1:25:10] It either opens up a path to build more housing at a lower cost or it says to private equity, [1:25:20] homes are for families, not for Wall Street investors and holds them back. [1:25:26] So, every piece of this is moving in that direction. [1:25:30] And here's the good part. [1:25:31] Over time, it's going to get better and better. [1:25:34] But nobody thinks this is the last we need to do. [1:25:38] One and done on housing. [1:25:40] This is step one. [1:25:42] Our plan from here is Road to Housing 2.0. [1:25:46] And we're already getting new suggestions, people coming in saying, [1:25:50] here's another thing we could do and another thing we could do. [1:25:53] This bill is big, but the housing problem is even bigger. [1:25:58] We're not through. [1:25:59] We've got to get this bill across the finish line. [1:26:02] And that means sign the damn bill, Mr. President. [1:26:05] But we've got to be working right away on the next one, too. [1:26:08] Thank you. [1:26:09] Take care. [1:26:10] Thank you, Ms. Warren. [1:26:11] Thank you.