Joe Biden on housing: ‘No one should pay more than 30 percent of their income’
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Read more: The Bee’s interview with Joe Biden
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee’s California Nation podcast, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden discussed his approach to the Golden State, ideas to improve California’s housing crisis and wildfire issues, as well as who could be his running mate. Read more from the Jan. 10 interview here:
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Former Vice President Joe Biden is aiming to woo California voters with a plan to make sure no American pays more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
“Housing should be a right for people,” Biden said. “The idea that you have so many people on the street in California because of the increase in cost of housing, it’s just not right. We’re gonna fully fund housing, and we’re gonna make sure that everyone has access to Section 8 housing. No one should pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing.”
Biden touted his housing plans Friday night in Nevada during an interview on The Bee’s “California Nation” podcast — his first interview of the 2020 election season with a California news organization, according to his campaign.
In addition to expanding access to the federal program designed to offer poorer Americans a subsidy to cover their housing costs through Section 8, Biden said he’d give first-time home buyers a “$15,000 down payment from the federal government.”
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who withdrew from the race on Monday, and had previously called for a refundable tax credit for poorer Americans that would cover the difference between the area’s median rent and 30 percent of income.
During the conversation, Biden cited his plans to address environmental problems as another reason Californians should support him. He chastised President Donald Trump for his combative relationship with California and his refusal to acknowledge the reality that humans are contributing to rising global temperatures.
After California’s Camp Fire claimed the lives of 85 people in 2018, Trump visited Paradise, which he mistakenly referred to as “Pleasure.” Trump also drew the ire of California lawmakers when he urged the state to prevent wildfires by following Finland’s lead in “raking and cleaning and doing things.”
“The first thing you’ve got to do is recognize science,” Biden said. “This president, the idea of you raking leaves in the forest, is not the way you’re gonna stop climate change.”
He said he’d put the United States back in the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump had announced in 2017 he’d withdraw from. Biden noted he would want Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who endorsed him last week, to work with local mayors and other countries to have members of the agreement “up the ante.”
He added he’d consider former 2020 competitor and California Sen. Kamala Harris for “anything she’d be interested in” under his administration.
To date, Biden has held few public events where he’s engaged with everyday California voters. He’s also declined invitations for three high-profile events, including a national party meeting held in San Francisco and a pair of state party conventions held in San Francisco and Long Beach.
With California’s March 3 primary quickly approaching, Biden was adamant he hasn’t “skipped out” on the earlier major events.
“I was speaking to the LGBT community, which I found more important than showing up to your convention at the time,” he said. “Secondly, I was doing an event in Ohio when you set the second California convention. “
When he has visited the state, he’s largely held private fundraisers in Los Angeles and the Bay Area in lieu of public rallies.
Asked about his approach to winning over Californians and his refusal to visit the middle of the state, he insisted he’s committed to California but also needs to campaign in earlier voting states. “Well, look, I mean, there’s a primary going on. There’s one coming up in Iowa, New Hampshire, here (in Nevada), there’s a caucus and South Carolina. I think I’ve probably been in California as much as any other candidate not from California.”
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the only candidate who has made more appearances in California than Biden, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of candidate visits.
Polling shows Biden among a top tier of three candidates in California, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders recently surpassing him at the top of the pack and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren slightly dropping. The multi-trillion dollar Medicare for All plans from Sanders and Warren appeal to many Californians, as do their ideas on free college tuition and an added tax on wealthier Americans — ideas Biden believes would be difficult to get passed with Republican support.
“If we can’t unite the country, you’re in deep trouble,” Biden said. “Not a joke. Our country, the democracy is at risk. There’s only one way you can govern in America, by consensus. I know I’m the only guy in this race from the beginning saying we have to unify the country. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be a kumbaya moment.”
Biden is pushing for a $750 billion plan over 10 years to build on the Affordable Care Act, which is commonly referred to as Obamacare.
While many likely voters want a candidate whose policy views match theirs, a recent survey of likely voters from the Public Policy Institute of California shows they’d prefer a candidate who they feel has the best chance of beating Trump in a general election.
Biden and Sanders consistently beat Trump in polls exploring a hypothetical general election matchup against Trump, with Biden having better odds than Sanders in some competitive states. Though Biden has made electability a central argument for his campaign, he said he doesn’t think Californians should support him if they don’t like his policy ideas.
He argues his health care plan is more popular than the $35 trillion proposal from Sanders and $23.5 trillion plan from Warren.
“Medicare for All is gonna cost $35 trillion,” Biden said. “It’s gonna rewrite the whole system, it’s gonna take four to 10 years, according to the authors, to get it passed. I provide Medicare if you want it, and we can afford it and we can move quickly. And so, I’m finding, and I think you’re finding if you look at the polling data, a significant number of Democrats in California and across the country support Medicare if you want it and make sure everybody’s covered without raising middle class taxes.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Joe Biden on housing: ‘No one should pay more than 30 percent of their income’."