SB 8608: National Housing Trust Fund Expansion Act (Passed)

[Pericles]

The National Housing Trust Fund is the first new federal housing resource in a generation exclusively targeted to help build and preserve housing affordable to people with the lowest incomes. However, more needs to be done. Too many people in Atlasia are burdened with huge costs of living, and this contributes to our deeply concerning level of homelessness, which we must act to reduce.

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An increase to $5.0 billion annually for the Trust Fund would help Atlasia provide more affordable housing for its citizens, and this is funded progressively and fairly. I hope the Senate will act on this legislation and pass it, so we can help those who look to us for help.

[Pericles]

Made a typo in the title, introducing this amendment to rectify it.

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[Pericles]

How much funding is currently appropriated for this?

I don't know the exact amount but given the cost I think it's probable the bill is fully funded.

[Pericles]

How much funding is currently appropriated for this?

I don't know the exact amount but given the cost I think it's probable the bill is fully funded.

Why do you think that? Did you review any numbers before deciding on the funding source? Or did you just add an unknown variable to bullschit your way past paygo?

It's called common sense. It's obvious this passes Paygo, and you should get on and certify that if you're so concerned about this bill rather than sniping at legislators.

[Pericles]

What Mr R leaves out from his numbers is the context that I believe shows this is a mainstream proposal. Irl, Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Mike Crapo proposed an amendment that would increase funding for the trust fund to $3.75 billion, this is similar to that though admittedly somewhat greater(I do consider myself more left-wing than Ron Johnson and Mike Crapo). link As I've explained, this would be a worthwhile increase and this program serves an important mission in providing affordable housing. Furthermore, $5 billion isn't that much in the grand scheme of the wider budget, and given the original funding for this is rather small, using percentages does not tell you everything. This program is good value for money-better than most, and Senators can rest assured this is not some crazy tax and spend pie in the sky liberal thinking here but an eminnently reasonable, mainstream and affordable proposal.

[Pericles]

What Mr R leaves out from his numbers is the context that I believe shows this is a mainstream proposal. Irl, Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Mike Crapo proposed an amendment that would increase funding for the trust fund to $3.75 billion, this is similar to that though admittedly somewhat greater(I do consider myself more left-wing than Ron Johnson and Mike Crapo). link As I've explained, this would be a worthwhile increase and this program serves an important mission in providing affordable housing. Furthermore, $5 billion isn't that much in the grand scheme of the wider budget, and given the original funding for this is rather small, using percentages does not tell you everything. This program is good value for money-better than most, and Senators can rest assured this is not some crazy tax and spend pie in the sky liberal thinking here but an eminnently reasonable, mainstream and affordable proposal.

Those Republican Senators support that because it is fundamentally a corporate welfare handout that benefits the rich.

That's a pretty spicy hottake right there. Can you explain how it has any basis in reality?

[Pericles]

What Mr R leaves out from his numbers is the context that I believe shows this is a mainstream proposal. Irl, Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Mike Crapo proposed an amendment that would increase funding for the trust fund to $3.75 billion, this is similar to that though admittedly somewhat greater(I do consider myself more left-wing than Ron Johnson and Mike Crapo). link As I've explained, this would be a worthwhile increase and this program serves an important mission in providing affordable housing. Furthermore, $5 billion isn't that much in the grand scheme of the wider budget, and given the original funding for this is rather small, using percentages does not tell you everything. This program is good value for money-better than most, and Senators can rest assured this is not some crazy tax and spend pie in the sky liberal thinking here but an eminnently reasonable, mainstream and affordable proposal.

Those Republican Senators support that because it is fundamentally a corporate welfare handout that benefits the rich.

That's a pretty spicy hottake right there. Can you explain how it has any basis in reality?

I'm looking into this specific issue now but that's often how politics in DC work, and after the Great Recession (which was caused in part by Bill Clinton making it too easy to give out loans to people who couldn't even pay them back), I'm wary about anything any corporate sellout trying to propose something that sounds good, seeing IRL it screwed my state over bigly.

Well yeah corporate welfare does exist but LT just went and called it corporate welfare without offering any evidence to back him up, and I haven't found anything that would back up such a claim.

[Pericles]

What modifications were you expecting? I think we probably should wait for an analysis on this as to whether it passes Paygo, but I wasn't planning on changing the text of the bill.

[Pericles]

Thank you for that info Encke. So it's clear we need alternative funding options, input from other Senators on this would be appreciated. I would also be open to reducing the expansion from $5 billion to $3.75 billion as per the irl proposal, if necessary.

[Pericles]

How about dropping it to the $1.7 billion that has funding present in the bill, at least for now. And then raising it to $3.75 billion once said funding in addition is found?

I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with the funding being that low. Sorry I should have gotten onto this earlier, I'd forgotten about this.

[Pericles]

Oh wow, thank you very much for that analysis and no worries about the error. So does the Senate have any further comments? Otherwise I plan to motion for a final vote.

[Pericles]

Very well I motion for a final vote.

[Pericles]

Aye