Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) says that her “HELP Act would give a lifeline to households dealing with eviction and very important sources throughout this time of disaster,” arguing that “housing is a human proper” and that “evictions are an act of coverage violence.”
Selling the act on social media, Pressley stated:
Eviction is an act of violence, and we have now to do all the things to stop it. It’s devastating for the households. It degrades the well being of communities.There may be nice stigma related to it. It impacts your credit score rating. Housing is a human proper. It’s a predictor of well being outcomes.It’s important for social and financial mobility, and so many individuals, after they obtain a discover to give up or to vacate their properties, normally due to non fee, as a result of wages usually are not conserving tempo with inflation, they don’t know their rights, and a variety of occasions, they are going to simply settle for that discover to give up and depart. And so my laws is ensuring they’ve entry as a result of we discovered that when tenants know their rights, after they have entry to authorized counsel we are able to normally hold them safely housed.
Pressley’s feedback on eviction are in step with the housing agenda she has pursued alongside different members of the “Squad.” Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Pressley joined Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in backing laws that might have canceled hire and mortgage funds nationwide.
Pressley and the opposite lawmakers first supported the proposal in 2020 and later reintroduced the laws in March 2021.
The housing push additionally drew consideration as a result of each Tlaib and Pressley reported receiving rental earnings whereas supporting a nationwide pause on hire funds. Tlaib disclosed receiving between $15,001 and $50,000 in rental earnings in each 2020 and 2021 from a Detroit property she owns, whereas Pressley and her husband reported between $5,000 and $15,000 in rental earnings in 2020.
In February 2024, after Walgreens introduced the closure of one other pharmacy location in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Pressley stated the transfer was “half of a bigger development of abandoning low-income communities” and described it as “life-threatening acts of racial and financial discrimination.”
Pressley has touched on comparable themes in remarks on different points.
In October 2025, Pressley marked Columbus Day by posting on social media that “We’re all on stolen land” whereas celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, accusing Republicans of trying to “whitewash American historical past,” and stating that the nation had inflicted trauma on Indigenous communities and that her workplace would proceed “centering Native voices” in policymaking.
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