NFHA Urges the Senate to Vet Attorney General Nominee for a Commitment to Civil Rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2024
Media Contact: NFHA@skdknick.com
NFHA Urges the Senate to Vet Attorney General Nominee for a Commitment to Civil Rights
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) submitted a letter urging the Senate to vet the nominee for Attorney General of the United States to ensure they have a demonstrated commitment to civil rights.
“By ensuring everyone can fairly access opportunity, we open the doors to individual advancement and enhance our collective prosperity,” said NFHA’s President and CEO, Lisa Rice. “As the nation’s top law enforcement agency, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for protecting the civil rights of all people in America and vigorously enforcing the nation’s civil rights laws, including the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. In particular, robust enforcement of our nation’s fair housing and lending laws is critically important at this time, especially as DOJ’s Combating Redlining Initiative has recently reached over $100 million in settlements with a range of financial institutions including credit unions and non-depository institutions. Currently, the people of America are facing a fair and affordable housing crisis, with record-high housing costs, increased homelessness, and a record number of housing discrimination complaints. By using the nation’s civil rights laws to eliminate the distortions that bias inflicts upon the markets, the DOJ can ensure the markets operate fairly and efficiently to build a world where a person’s zip code does not determine their outcome in life.”
In the letter, NFHA recommends that the Senate ensure that the next Attorney General shows a demonstrated commitment to:
- Preserving checks and balances, including by showing an independent legal judgment to uphold the nation’s laws;
- Protecting the established rights and freedoms through robust enforcement of our nation’s longstanding civil rights laws, including the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act;
- Promoting fair and affordable housing for all households and communities, including continuing the DOJ’s critical work to combat housing discrimination, redlining, and appraisal discrimination so that all households and communities can realize the American dream of homeownership as well as stable, affordable housing; and
- Supporting robust civil rights protections for housing-related automated systems, including artificial intelligence (AI).
The full text of NFHA’s letter to the Senate can be found here.
About the National Fair Housing Alliance
The National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations and individuals throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.