Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act Introduced by Gomez Amid National Summit

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., has introduced legislation aimed at addressing the national housing affordability crisis, as reported on Wednesday.

The proposed bill, referred to as the “Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act,” would redirect $175 billion originally allocated for immigration enforcement programs. This includes funding for Customs and Border Protection under what Gomez termed President Trump’s initiative, but which was not explicitly named in this context according to his own description.

Gomez stated that the legislation builds upon a momentum generated from a National Summit on the Housing Affordability Crisis he convened earlier. The summit focused on coordinating efforts to tackle rising housing costs across the United States.

The key provisions of this measure include:
A monthly renter tax credit for households spending over 30% of their income on rent.
Significant financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, including at least $25,000 towards down payments and potentially up to $75,000 according to some reports, though the exact figure cited by Gomez was $175 billion total realignment, affecting multiple programs.
A 20%-35% tax credit for developers converting vacant offices into affordable housing units.

Additionally, the bill proposes a starter-home construction credit for first-time buyers and expands the supply of affordable housing by strengthening existing incentives like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

Gomez emphasized that this approach differs from other housing proposals due to its focus on funding derived specifically from shifting resources away from immigration enforcement activities. This encompasses reallocation from border militarization funds, detention facilities budgets (though specific names were not mentioned), and various initiatives under agencies like DHS and ICE.

He added the measure’s purpose is to fulfill a basic promise: enabling hardworking individuals to afford a home for their families.