COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DELAWARE

On 2025-03-11, Representative Sarah McBride (D-DE) delivered a floor speech titled "COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DELAWARE" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment, housing.

COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DELAWARE

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 45 (Tuesday, March 11, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 11, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1071-H1072] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DELAWARE (Ms. McBride of Delaware was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) [[Page H1072]] Ms. McBRIDE. Madam Speaker, on the evening of February 27, the Community Legal Aid Society of Delaware, CLASI, was informed that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was immediately terminating their fair housing enforcement grant at the direction of DOGE. This funding, which amounts to nearly half a million dollars, represents roughly 4 percent of CLASI's entire annual budget. It is a devastating blow to a well-respected, beloved, and vital organization that has been the sole enforcer of Federal fair housing laws in Delaware for decades. Since 2004, CLASI has been a critical player in protecting Delawareans from discrimination in housing transactions, whether they are buying, selling, renting, or simply trying to secure a safe place to live. For many of our most vulnerable residents, including individuals with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and low-income families, CLASI has been a beacon of hope and a lifeline in pursuit of safe, quality, and affordable housing. Before CLASI began receiving HUD funding, much of this mistreatment went undetected, with only a small number of complaints filed and investigated each year. Yet, in just the first 2 years of receiving HUD support, the number of discrimination investigations in Delaware doubled. That number only continued to rise as CLASI expanded their work. Let me share some recent examples of the vital work of CLASI. This is work that has now been jeopardized by President Trump's cuts. A Delaware woman was injured in a horrible act of domestic violence. As she missed work for medical appointments and struggled financially, her landlord threatened eviction. CLASI stepped in, preventing the eviction, securing funds for the landlord, and ensuring this survivor of domestic violence was able to remain safely in her home. Another Delaware woman was facing life-threatening harassment from an abuser. She was in urgent need of a safe place to live but was trapped by a landlord refusing to let her end her lease. CLASI was able to negotiate an early termination of her lease and helped her preserve her section 8 voucher, enabling her to escape her abuser and find a safe home for herself and her children. There is an elderly woman who, after becoming wheelchair bound, was confined to her apartment on the third floor of a building that lacked an elevator. For nearly a year, she struggled to get the building to address her need for a safer, accessible unit. It wasn't until CLASI intervened that she was able to secure a transfer to a ground-floor unit, finally allowing her to live with dignity and safety. These are just a few of the examples of the impacts that CLASI has had on individuals and families in Delaware. Across the country, other fair housing organizations are facing the same fate, the same heartbreaking cuts by this administration. As of the current grant year, CLASI has handled 163 fair housing cases. That is 163 families, individuals, and neighbors who are able to access support and the protections guaranteed by Federal law. That is 163 instances where CLASI's expertise and commitment have kept someone in their home or ensured that they could have housing that met their needs. Since the actions of President Trump took effect, all of that is at risk. At a time when the American Dream remains unaffordable and inaccessible for many and when housing, even basic shelter, remains out of reach for working people, this administration's actions make that problem worse. The termination of this funding is not just a fiscal hit. It is an attack on the principle of fairness. Housing isn't a luxury. It is a basic need. I will continue to fight to restore these funds. I will fight for the future of CLASI and other fair housing programs, and I will fight to ensure that every person in Delaware and across the country can rent or buy a safe, quality, and affordable home. The Delawareans' lives touched by CLASI's work should know that I stand with them. I will fight for them. Together, we will continue the work of guaranteeing fair housing for all. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Luttrell). Members are reminded to refrain from trafficking the well while other Members are under recognition. ____________________