WASHINGTON, DC – A delegation of nearly 50 Mayors including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today met with top Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to advance a national agenda to confront the homelessness crisis nationwide. As Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and USCM President Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve are leading a bipartisan delegation from 18 states across the country to Washington, DC.
EDs: More info about the delegation trip here. Click here for photos and b-roll. Click here for readouts from meetings with key members of the Biden-Harris Administration.
During the meetings, Mayors focused on the USCM Task Force on Homelessness’ legislative agenda to combat homelessness:
Expand veteran eligibility for housing vouchers so that veterans don’t have to choose between their disability benefits and housing;
Increase the cap on project-based vouchers to provide cities with flexibility to build more affordable and supportive housing;
Advocate for increased funding for housing choice vouchers; and
Increase the Community Development Block Grant’s cap on public services to prevent homelessness and keep people housed.
The delegation also advocated for solutions to end veteran homelessness at a press conference with House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano and Representative Mike Levin as Members of Congress continue to show support for cities addressing this issue and local lifesaving efforts.
During Mayor Bass’ remarks, she reiterated her commitment to housing veterans:
“Americans that fought on behalf of our country, the people who have defended us, should never sleep one night outside on our streets. There are solutions to this crisis – so while we're fighting day in and day out to get people off the street, we have to bring the fight here to Washington, DC so that we can look at rules and regulations that need to be tossed aside, given the magnitude of the problem that we have today.”
Tuesday meetings with Members of Congress included:
Senate
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair, Senate Committee on the Budget
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair, Senate Committee on Finance
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Chair, Senate Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chair, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Member, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Member, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Senate Committee on Finance
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Member, Senate Committee on Finance
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Member, Senate Committee on Finance
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), Member, Senate Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Office of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate and Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations
House
Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Democratic Leader
Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA), House Democratic Whip
Representative Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Chair, House Democratic Caucus
Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH), Chair, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Ranking Member, House Committee on Appropriations
Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Ranking Member, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member, House Committee on Financial Services
Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member, House Committee on Armed Services
Representative Mark Takano (D-CA), Ranking Member, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Representative Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Chair, House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO), Ranking Member, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
Representative Mike Levin (D-CA), Ranking Member, House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Member, House Committee on Ways and Means
Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), Member, House Committee on the Judiciary
Representative Paul D. Tonko (D-NY), Co-Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, and the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus
Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Member, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax
Representative Norma Torres (D-CA), Member, House Committee on Appropriations
Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Member, House Committee on Financial Services
Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Member, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax
Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Member, House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
Representative Nikema Williams (D-GA), Member, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Member, House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
Representative Gabe Amo (D-RI), Member, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Office of Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Chair, House Committee on Financial Services