Ilhan Omar promises 'Homes for All' legislation to combat 'moral stain' of homelessness

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) announced her intention to combat homelessness in the U.S. with "Homes for All" legislation, the latest ambitious federal initiative to come out of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Omar will work together with the other members of the self-proclaimed "squad," Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), to create legislation addressing both the surface issue of homelessness, and the systemic issues that cause it.

"It is a moral stain on our country that we have half-a-million or more people facing homelessness," Omar said Thursday. "In a few weeks, we are going to introduce our 'Homes For All' legislation, which will, hopefully, guarantee a home for everyone."

The idea behind the plan is for the federal government to pour significantly more funding into building public housing across the nation.

AOC and Ilhan Omar to rollout legislation guaranteeing everyone in the U.S. a houseyoutu.be

According to a section on IlhanOmar.com about Homes for All, the proposal will aim to "establish a progressive Homes for All program that provides an influx of federal housing funding with the goal of jumpstarting the market and producing 1 million units over 5 years to ensure that no one is denied a healthy home in a livable community."

The plan on Omar's website does not include information about how the program would be funded alongside other Democratic initiatives such as the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free college education, and student loan debt cancellation. The argument against proposals like this isn't that the goal being pursued is necessarily wrong, but rather that they seem to be financially impossible to execute.

Everyone agrees that homelessness is a problem to be solved, but for the plan to become reality, Omar, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren is learning now in the Democratic primary, will have to explain how it will be paid for.

(H/T: Washington Examiner)