Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Thursday teased upcoming legislation aimed to “guarantee” a home for everyone, calling homelessness in the United States a “moral stain.”
The far-left “Squad” member spoke at a “congressional town hall for women of color” and spoke about the homelessness crisis, calling it a “moral stain.” She also teased legislation, “Homes for All,” which would “hopefully guarantee a home for everyone.”
Omar told the crowd that she was shocked to see homeless people sleeping in the streets when she first came to the U.S., adding, “because I never imagined I would come – leave a refugee camp and come to the United States and the first thing I would see would be homeless people.”
“It is a moral stain on our country that we have half-a-million or more people facing homelessness and that we have millions of people who are living with the stress, the worry, of being evicted because they might not be able to pay their rent,” she said during the event.
“In a few weeks, we are going to introduce our ‘Homes for All’ legislation, which will, hopefully, guarantee a home for everyone by investing federal dollars into the creation of millions of homes,” she said to applause.
She continued:
I am really excited for the opportunity to work on this legislation and get it done so that we don’t have an Ilhan that arrives in America and gets to see — have it be the first thing she sees: people sleeping on the side of the streets in a country where people come to seek prosperity and hope.
Omar’s call coincides with fellow “Squad” member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has lamented the state of housing in America over the past few months.
During a town hall event in the Bronx in June, Ocasio-Cortez minimized the “luxury” status of her D.C. apartment and proclaimed housing a “human right.”
“We have to make sure that housing is being legislated as a human right,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “What does that mean? What it means is that our access and our ability and our guarantee to having a home comes before someone else’s privilege to earn a profit.”
In September, she unveiled her “A Just Society” proposal, which updates national poverty guidelines, extends federal benefits to illegal immigrants, and “gives access to a ‘counsel fund’ for renters who are facing eviction,” as Breitbart News reported.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who received glowing endorsements from both Ocasio-Cortez and Omar, has also called for “Housing for All,” asserting that every American should be entitled to a “safe, decent, accessible, and affordable home.”
“In the richest country in the history of the world, every American must have a safe, decent, accessible, and affordable home as a fundamental right,” Sanders’ website states. “We need a homes guarantee.”