Tri-Caucus Chairs Urge Biden to Release AFFH Rule to Accelerate Racial Equity in Housing

Today, the Chairs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus(CHC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) led a letter to President Biden, calling for the swift release of the final "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" (AFFH) rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Tri-Caucus Chairs emphasize that the rule has the power to accelerate America's mission to fulfill its promise of fair housing access and opportunities for all. The call highlights the pressing need for urgent comprehensive housing policies to further address systemic injustices and intensify efforts to rectify the history of housing discrimination against marginalized communities.

"The AFFH rule is an essential tool in making sure that all people-regardless of race, gender identity, ethnicity, family status, disability, or religion- have a range of choices about where to live, and that all neighborhoods are good places to live, regardless of who lives in the community," wrote CHC Chair Rep. Nanette Barragán, CBC Chair Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04), and CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28).

They continued, "HUD's proposed 2023 AFFH rule answers the Administration's call to create a fair housing market. This rule can ensure that cities, counties, public housing agencies, regions, and states proactively pursue housing and other policies that connect all residents to the resources they need to succeed."

"More than 55 years after the Fair Housing Act became law, we still have not fully implemented its requirement to combat discrimination and affirmatively further fair housing. We urge the White House not to wait any longer and immediately release the AFFH rule so that our country can take critical and substantial steps in fulfilling our country's promise of fair housing access and opportunities for all."

The AFFH rule requires that recipients of HUD funding develop locally driven actions to further foster fair housing principles with engagement from their communities. Program participants will submit their plans to HUD and provide annual evaluations to monitor progress towards achieving their established fair housing commitments.

To read the full letter, click here.