In a decisive stand against Vice President Kamala Harris’s latest policy proposal, a powerful coalition of conservative groups—including Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the Heritage Foundation, and over 30 other organizations—has come out strongly against her rent price control plan. The proposal, unveiled in mid-August, aims to cap rent increases at five percent nationwide over the next two years for landlords owning more than 50 units.
This sweeping proposal, mirroring a similar plan previously championed by President Joe Biden, has been met with fierce resistance from the conservative bloc. In a letter addressed to congressional lawmakers and state attorneys general, obtained exclusively by Breitbart News, the coalition argues that the rent control measure would be disastrous for affordable housing across the nation.
The conservative leaders warn that Harris’s rent control proposal could severely undermine the availability of affordable rental housing. They cite historical and contemporary evidence to support their stance. “Even the socialist Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck once said, ‘In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city — except for bombing,’” the letter reads. This stark comparison underscores the coalition’s view that rent controls could devastate housing markets rather than alleviate affordability issues.
Further bolstering their argument, the coalition points to a study highlighting the negative impacts of rent control on housing quality. According to their findings, doubling the number of rent-controlled units in an urban area is associated with a 16.2 percent increase in severely inadequate housing units and a 14.7 percent increase in moderately inadequate housing. This evidence suggests that rent control could lead to a deterioration in housing conditions rather than an improvement.
The conservative groups are also drawing attention to the positive outcomes observed in cities where rent control measures have been abolished. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, for example, economists found that direct dollar investments in housing units doubled within a few years following the end of rent control policies.
The backlash from the conservative coalition highlights a broader debate over how best to address the affordable housing crisis. Critics of Harris’s proposal argue that rather than solving the problem, rent controls often exacerbate it by disincentivizing investment in new housing and maintenance of existing units.
As the debate continues, conservative leaders urge lawmakers to consider the long-term consequences of such policies and to seek solutions that promote both affordability and quality in housing markets. The fight against Kamala Harris’s rent control plan is set to be a significant battleground in the broader conversation on housing reform in the coming months.
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