Elizabeth Warren, Jamaal Bowman Want To Give Lina Khan the Power To Impose Rent Control on the Whole Country

Reason ^ | January 18, 2023 | Christian Britschgi

[karpov]

Progressive Democrats in Congress, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D–N.Y.), are urging the White House to marshal all available organs of the regulatory state to impose rent control on the entire country.

A letter authored by the two, and signed by 50 members of Congress, proposes seven actions of varying radicalism and legality that President Joe Biden could take to cap rent increases.

"We urge your Administration to pursue all possible strategies to end corporate price gouging in the real estate sector," reads the January 9 letter to Biden. "Simply put, the rent is too high and millions of people across this country are struggling to stay stably housed as a result."

The pandemic saw the federal government dramatically expand its role in rental housing markets by imposing eviction moratoriums and allocating billions in funding for rent relief and housing for the homeless.

The letter from Democrats in Congress echoes demands by left-wing housing activists to retain and expand on those emergency interventions. The post-pandemic increase in rents, they argue, represents an ongoing emergency that demands a robust federal response.

In August 2022, the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) and the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) sent their own letter to Biden administration officials, making the case for many of the same interventions Congressional Democrats are calling for now.

Chief among them is a demand that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the independent regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, impose anti-price gouging protections (aka rent control) and "just cause eviction standards" on properties with government-backed mortgages.

[COBOL2Java]

National rent control would turn all affected housing into dilapidated wrecks—but it might take a few years.

It worked so well in New York City...

[unixfox]

I guess Americans haven’t had enough Socialism shoved up their asses yet. What will it take?

It’s time.

[DrewsMum]

Will never happen. Real estate tycoons are too powerful to let that happen

[Night Hides Not]

Sounds like a good plan…people can use the smaller rent payments to pay down their student loans.

Off, OFF, damned sarcasm!

[HollyB]

Exactly. Let’s lower property taxes. Hey just eliminate them !

[Chode]

works for me... 8^)

[Right Wing Vegan]

bttt