Crapo Condemns Biden Administration’s Housing Policies Contributing to Record Homelessness

Washington, D.C.--Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), along with seven other Senate Banking Committee Republicans, called out the Biden Administration’s failure to address the highest homelessness levels ever recorded.  In a letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Senators noted that while the agency has received record funding to combat homelessness, much of the money remains unspent, and pointed to the administration’s policies--including burdensome regulations and an open border approach--that have contributed to a lack of affordable housing opportunities and a meteoric rise in homelessness.

“This surge in homelessness cannot be blamed on a lack of funding for federal housing programs,” the Senators wrote.  “In recent years, Congress has provided HUD with record appropriations, expanding the Department’s annual budget authority over 42 percent from FY19 through FY23.  Moreover, $5 billion in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds were made available in the partisan American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), specifically for homelessness, but nearly all of that funding remains unspent.”

“Instead, it is clear that the policies of this administration are to blame,” the Senators continued.  “Rents have grown by more than 27 percent since 2019, and home prices have climbed by nearly 50 percent in that same period.  Opportunities to access affordable housing or achieve the American Dream of homeownership have faded under your watch, as federal spending has driven inflation to historic highs…Even more concerning, this administration’s open border policies have exacerbated homelessness in cities across our nation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded an all-time high of roughly three million encounters with migrants illegally entering the country in FY23.  The staggering levels of illegal border crossings are impacting state and local budgets, including their capacity to assist our own citizens struggling with homelessness.”

Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and Senators Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) and Steve Daines (R-Montana) also signed the letter.

Read the full letter here.