Ranking Member Clyburn Statement at the Full Committee Markup of the 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill

WASHINGTON — Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC-06), Ranking Member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, prepared the following remarks for delivery at the full committee markup of the 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill:

Thank you, Chairman Womack for your enlightened leadership and stewardship of the T-HUD Subcommittee.   

I also thank Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, as well as the staff- Christina Monroe, Jackie Kilroy, Nora Faye, Barvetta Singletary of my personal staff and Doug Disrud and his team for their hard work. 

Mr. Chairman, the American people are concerned about the cost of living.  Whether it’s rising rents, a shrinking job market, or increasing costs at the gas pump – 76 percent of Americans see the cost of living as their biggest economic concern. 

My home state of South Carolina has recorded some of the highest population growth in the nation and housing costs have surged significantly faster than wages. While median home prices exceed more than $700,000 in coastal areas, nearly   57,000 low-income households, seniors, people with disabilities and working families, count on HUD’s rental assistance to make ends meet. 

By cutting Housing Counseling assistance in half, this bill limits opportunities for families to acquire and build wealth, and achieve the dream of homeownership. 

As if Americans are not already struggling to access a home they can afford, the bill walks away from enforcement of longstanding civil rights laws that protect housing choice for most Americans, by cutting support for local organizations at the frontlines of Fair Housing enforcement by 64 percent. 

People with disabilities, who account for 55 percent of discrimination claims, will bear the brunt of these decisions. Although this bill rejects many of the harmful policy riders that would weaken transportation safety it does not come without trade-offs. 

For transportation, this bill would: Nearly eliminate public transit and bus service improvement projects; zero out investments for Amtrak; take $7.9 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” gimmick to make up for a woefully inadequate allocation. 

These transportation cuts are particularly shortsighted because they compound the housing and cost of living crisis.  Access to safe, reliable, and affordable transit is essential for connecting people to jobs, schools and healthcare—the very things that help families achieve self-sufficiency. 

Now, let’s be honest about what’s really happening here. For months, Republicans have allowed the President to wage a war, that the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Budget Model estimates is costing the American people roughly $800 million to $1 billion per day. 

Experts at the Harvard Kennedy School project this illegal war could increase the deficit by at least one trillion dollars over the next decade.  Let us not forget that just last year Republicans already increased the deficit by trillions of dollars over the next decade through tax cuts for billionaires and big businesses when they passed their “Big Ugly Bill”. 

But instead of taking serious and intentional steps to lessen burdens for American households, this bill would leave mayors and governors to foot the bill for what we know is a national cost of living crisis.

Mr. Chairman, I understand the challenges ahead of you. Unfortunately, this bill includes unrealistic budget gimmicks that will only cost us more in the long run.

My hope is that we can put politics aside and do that which is necessary to make America’s greatness accessible and affordable for all – unfortunately, this bill fails to meet that goal.

I urge my colleagues to vote “no” on this bill. Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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