Green New Deal for Public Housing Reintroduced to Tackle Housing and Climate Crises
Washington, DC — A significant legislative push has been reignited as Congresswomen Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), alongside Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have reintroduced the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act. This ambitious proposal aims not only to rejuvenate the United States’ public housing infrastructure but also to address climate change and create numerous union jobs.
The Green New Deal for Public Housing Act has garnered endorsements from key building trades unions, namely the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (IUBAC), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).
“Safe, sustainable, resilient, affordable housing is a HUMAN RIGHT, plain and simple,” stated Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez. “I am proud to stand with Representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders to reintroduce legislation that will secure the future of our public housing, prioritize climate and racial justice, and strengthen our economy and labor force. The Green New Deal for Public Housing is a bold solution to our national housing crisis.”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emphasized the urgency of addressing both housing affordability and climate resilience. “From record-breaking heat waves to extreme flooding displacing public housing residents, Americans are feeling the parallel impacts of the housing and climate crisis. Now more than ever, it is integral that Congress put forward bold solutions that ensure our nation’s housing stock is both affordable and resilient,” she said.
Senator Bernie Sanders highlighted the unacceptable conditions many Americans face, stating, “What the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act does is say that yes, we can create decent and affordable public housing for more than 1.5 million Americans that is based on energy efficiency and sustainable sources of power. And that when we do that, we can also create hundreds of thousands of good-paying, union jobs. That is a win-win-win situation.”
Key Components of the Legislation
The bill introduces seven grant programs aimed at modernizing public housing through:
- Deep energy retrofits designed to enhance energy savings in nearly a million public housing units;
- Development programs focused on providing good-paying job opportunities for residents;
- Upgrades in energy efficiency, building electrification, and water quality;
- Initiatives for community renewable energy generation, with profits managed by Public Housing Agencies (PHAs);
- Measures to boost community resiliency and sustainability;
- Systems for climate adaptation and emergency disaster response.
Tim Driscoll, President of IUBAC, called for quick congressional action, noting, “The United States faces a serious housing crisis, one which intensifies with every passing year. Grounded in strong protections for workers, the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act tackles this crisis in part by mandating fair wages, benefits, and labor standards as a requirement for funding public housing upgrades.”
Shamus Roller, CEO of the National Housing Law Project, praised the bill as the most significant investment seen in generations, stating, “This bill will preserve hundreds of thousands of safe, affordable homes for those who need them the most, while centering public housing residents at every stage in the process.”
The bill has found support among 40 representatives and six senators. Notable cosponsors include Representatives Brendan Boyle (PA-02), André Carson (IN-07), and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), among others.
For more details, the full bill text is available here. Additional resources, including a one-pager and a section-by-section breakdown, can be accessed here and here respectively.
Original Story at ramirez.house.gov