LAS VEGAS — A few days after reports surfaced that President Trump is considering a crackdown on homelessness, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued an unofficial rebuttal, outlining his national housing plan in an address to a crowd of 100 at the local chapter of a plumbers and pipe fitters union.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said he will pay for the policy by establishing a wealth tax on the top one-tenth of 1 percent — or, according to his estimate, the wealthiest 175,000 families. (Jason Bean/AP)
Sanders railed against Trump’s housing policies and explained his own plan, which calls for federal investment of $2.5 trillion over the next decade and a national rent control standard. He said he will pay for the policy by establishing a wealth tax on the top one-tenth of 1 percent — or, according to his estimate, the wealthiest 175,000 families.
“Instead of expanding federal housing programs, Trump is proposing to cut them by $9.6 billion or 18 percent,” Sanders said. “Instead of working to substantially reduce the outrageously high price of housing, Trump is proposing to triple what some of the poorest senior citizens and persons with disabilities in America are paying for rent today.”
The Sanders campaign said a full outline of the plan will “be released in the coming weeks,” but Sanders did provide some details Saturday. He proposed a national rent control standard that would cap rent increases at no more 1½ times the rate of inflation or 3 percent, whichever is higher. He promised to promote legal protections for fair housing and take steps to eliminate racial discrimination in loan practices....................Read More
