NHCSL Responds to President Biden’s State of the Union Speech

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech. In response, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) released the following statement:

“NHCSL is pleased with tonight’s State of the Union, especially with the President’s plan to lower housing costs for working families. Our Caucus has been a strong advocate for improving access to affordable housing, especially first-time homeowners, and renters nationwide, including tonight’s announcement of $400 a month for the next 2 years for people to put toward their mortgage.

“We welcome his call to Congress to pass legislation to lower housing costs by providing a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and people who sell their starter homes, as well as the Mortgage Relief Credit. We also support his pledge to lower rental costs.

“This last point, as well as the call for down payment assistance for first-generation homeowners, in particular are of utmost importance to Hispanics: we’re the second group most likely to be renters, and our communities tend to be based in urban areas, where the cost of living has increased substantially in the past years, even before the pandemic. We’re glad to see our advocacy efforts amplified by the President and hope to work with Congress to make them a tangible reality.

“Even though he didn’t mention his support of the HOME Act, we hope to keep working with Congress and count with the White House’s support in its passage.

“As NHCSL has stated before, the bipartisan Senate bill tackling immigration is far from the holistic immigration reform we need. Tonight, President Biden promised to not demonize immigrants and keep families together, and reminded the American public of his commitment to a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, among others. We will hold him accountable for this promise, and we join his pledge for more funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

“Latinos are disproportionately more likely to be victims of gun violence, and we’ve welcomed his Administration’s efforts to curb gun violence by signing and implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, combating ghost guns and helping close the background check loophole, among many actions the Executive has taken. We applaud his commitment to ban assault weapons and are eager to keep working with our partners, Congress and the White House to guarantee the safety of our children and communities.

“Hispanic and Black communities are disproportionately affected by abortion bans and attacks against reproductive rights. Since the Dobbs decision, the Biden-Harris Administration has doubled down on their work with state legislatures, including from our Caucus’ leadership. We stand by the Administration in its commitment to restore and expand reproductive freedoms, and protect access to threatened reproductive care like birth control and IVF.

“We were, however, disappointed that he didn’t mention the pledge for SNAP in Puerto Rico but expect to continue having his support making it a reality. Puerto Ricans in the territory are Americans, and deserve access to federal benefits as everyone else in the Mainland. We call upon the Administration to ensure all of our citizens, regardless of where in the U.S. they live, have access to what their taxes pay for and what they deserve for their families to thrive.

“There’s no denying that the Biden-Harris Administration’s achievements have improved the conditions for Hispanic communities across the Nation. But more can and should be done to address the barriers we face and the shortcomings of the federal government in standing with our familias. We look forward to working with the President and his government in making strides for our gente and for all communities of color, and to keep advocating on behalf of Latinos for a better nation, truly indivisible, and with liberty and justice for ALL.”

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The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 450 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.