Republicans Continue to Lead the Fight to Protect Renters, Democrats Have No Solution

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Republicans Continue to Lead the Fight to Protect Renters, Democrats Have No Solution

Washington, Sep 3 -

One week from today, Committee Democrats will hold a hearing to review “Reforms to Expedite Emergency Rental Assistance.” This long overdue examination of the failed Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program comes after months of work by Committee Republicans to provide relief to American families in need—met by months of inaction by House Democrats.

Unfortunately, at the upcoming hearing, Committee Democrats will once again focus on their own partisan and ineffective proposals rather than work across the aisle to build on the Republican efforts to keep renters in their homes. If Democrats and the Biden Administration want to take action, instead of lurching from crisis to crisis, the House should immediately take up Committee Republicans’ H.R. 3913, the Renter Protection Act, introduced in June.

Committee Republicans are leading the fight to protect America’s renters:

On May 18, 2021, Republican Leader Patrick McHenry(NC-10) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Yellen asking for data on how much ERA money has reached renters and landlords. Month after month, the numbers show an abysmal rollout of relief funds.

At a June 9, 2021 hearing on housing issues, Republican Leader McHenry called out the Biden Administration for their gross mismanagement of the ERA programs.

On June 15, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry sent a letter to the GAO asking them to audit the ERA programs.

On June 16, 2021, all Committee Republicans introduced H.R. 3913, the Renter Protection Act, to fix the Biden Administration’s mismanagement of the ERA programs, get the money out the door quickly, and keep Americans in their homes.

On June 25, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry and French Hill (AR-02), the top Republican on the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance, released a statement denouncing the Biden Administration’s shortsighted extension of the eviction moratorium and calling for consideration of Republicans’ Renter Protection Act.

On July 13, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry sent a letter to Chairwoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) demanding that Secretary Yellen testify alongside Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Fudge to answer for the mismanagement of the ERA programs and calling for the Committee to consider Republicans’ H.R. 3913, the Renter Protection Act, at the next markup.

At a July 20, 2021 hearing with HUD Secretary Fudge, Republican Leader McHenry hammered the Administration for its inability to answer basic questions about the status of the ERA programs.

On July 28, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry joined other top House Republicans in a letter blasting Secretary Yellen for skirting congressional oversight of the ERA programs and refusing to testify before Congress.

On July 29, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry issued a scathing rebuke of President Biden’s call for Congress to extend the unconstitutional eviction moratorium without fixing the underlying issue of his Administration’s absolute failure to administer the ERA programs.

On August 4, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry sent a letter to Chair Maxine Waters again urging her to convene a hearing with Treasury Secretary Yellen to hold the Administration accountable for its mismanagement of the ERA programs and find a permanent solution to pay off renter’s back rent by considering Republicans’ Renter Protection Act.

On August 6, 2021, Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Republican Leaders Patrick McHenry and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (WA-05), sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) demanding she bring the House back to work to find a permanent solution for tenants at risk of eviction by passing Republicans’ Renter Protection Act.

On August 28, 2021, Republican Leader McHenry issued a statement in support of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Biden’s unconstitutional eviction moratorium and again pushed Congress to permanently address the mismanagement of ERA funds by passing Republicans’ Renter Protection Act.