Bills
| 3.23.22

Should Federal Funds Be Used To Support Affordable Housing For Native Americans? (H.R. 4329)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 4329?

(Updated July 18, 2017)

In 1996, several independent services that offered housing assistance to Native Americans were replaced with a block grant program. This program was designed to guarantee loans for affordable housing and was last amended in 2000. 


H.R. 4329 would re-authorize this program. Additionally, the bill would authorize $12.2 million annually to guarantee loans to Native American families for building houses on their land. A section of this bill would also authorize a program to create home rental programs for Native American veterans who are homeless or at risk for homelessness.

Argument in favor

This program is the main source of housing stability for many low-income Native Americans. Cutting off vital federal assistance for this group of people would be devastating.

Argument opposed

While this bill is well intentioned, it was not well considered. It did not receive a hearing, and could actually raise costs for Native Americans in need of affordable housing.

Impact

Impact: Native Americans receiving housing loads, low income Native Americans, homeless Native Americans, Native American veterans

Cost of H.R. 4329

A CBO cost estimate found that H.R 4329 would cost about $2 billion between 2015 and 2019.

Additional Info

In Depth: 

Sponsoring Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-NM), stated his goal with this bill is to “achieve prosperity that has been elusive on reservations.” So far, this bill passed in the Chamber with bi-partisan support. The National American Indian Housing Council strongly supports the bill, stating in a press release that it has been a “top priority since 2012.”

However, there are concerns. The bill did not receive a hearing before entering the chamber, leaving some representatives concerned that important issues were not adequately considered. 

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) opposes the bill reluctantly, but supports reauthorizing the act. Waters believes the bill could “seriously undercut the goal of providing affordable housing.” H.R. 4329 excludes a rule that would cap rent at 30 percent of a household’s income, which Waters believes could leave families open to “unlimited increases in rental payments.”


Media: 




U.S. Chamber of Commerce

(Photo Credit: Flickr user gregorywass)