In Washington, D.C., 260+ Bipartisan Mayors Spotlighted Housing Crisis as Top Priority to Keep Cities Flourishing
Washington, D.C. – Today, more than 260 mayors championed America’s cities during the opening day of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 93rd Winter Meeting, hosted in Washington D.C. Across the meeting’s opening day, mayors touted the incredible comeback underway in cities, but warned of the costs of America’s housing crisis. They also welcomed federal partners, including outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
President Joe Biden delivered one of his final speeches as president. “While my term in office is ending, the work continues. Your work continues,” President Biden said. He thanked mayors for their partnership on his administration’s signature achievements such as the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And, he received the Conference’s highest honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award. “American mayors could ask for no better friend and partner than the 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden,” said USCM President and Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther.
Across the day, mayors celebrated cities’ momentum and called for continuing that progress by solving the housing crisis.
“Today, I proudly can say that America’s cities are thriving,” said USCM President and Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther during the morning’s opening plenary. “A vibrancy is returning to our downtowns, and optimism is the pervasive feeling when you talk to any mayor here.”
“But with all our success,” he added during the day’s opening press conference, “there remain challenges. One of our biggest challenges, I would say the biggest challenge, is the housing crisis.”
“We don’t speak enough about our housing deficit,” said USCM Second Vice President San Diego (CA) Mayor Todd Gloria. “Cities big and small, urban and rural, are all being faced by this issue. … As mayors, we’re taking advantage of every tool we have at the local level to increase housing supply and decrease prices, but we need help from our federal partners to do even more.”
At a panel on housing, mayors emphasized the scale of the crisis. “We’ve got a lot of work on our hands,” said Toledo (OH) Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, the panel chair. Panelists discussed solutions that promoted savings, offered subsidies across income levels, and unlocked new construction.
At other panels, mayors celebrated the economic vitality of cities. “Cities are the engines of our economy,” said Madison (WI) Satya Rhodes-Conway at a panel of the Council on Metro Economies. “Together, we are going to work to keep not just our economies strong, but the nation’s economy strong,” she added.
Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise (ID) led a panel on resurgent manufacturing empowered by investments in the CHIPS and Science Act. To date, more than $36 billion in CHIPS funds have been allocated for domestic semiconductor projects, spanning 24 states. “It’s not just about one company, but it truly is about supporting all of the pieces within our cities that are needed in the industry,” said Mayor McLean. “It’s so exciting to be a part of this.”
No matter the issue, mayors affirmed their core goal is delivering bipartisan results for people. “We’re here to model to Washington what effective leadership produces,” said USCM Vice President Oklahoma City (OK) Mayor David Holt at the opening press conference. “My city just set a record for longest streak below 4 percent unemployment – 40 straight months. Metro cities as a whole produced 76 percent of the nation’s employment growth and 93 percent of the nation’s GDP growth last year. And we collectively represent 90 percent of the nation’s total GDP.
The Winter Meeting continues Saturday and will conclude on Sunday.