ms. velasquez. >> thank you mr. chairman. mr. secretary, this hearing could not come at a better time. the house unfortunately just passed fy-16 spending bill. which, if enacted -- if enacted, will severely underfund virtually every hud program and jeopardize the housing stability of vulnerable americans. the shortage of affordable rental housing is a huge problem in new york. under the new analysis released this week, brought the severity of the problem home. between 2002 and 2014 rent in new york city rose by 32%. citywide. even after the effects of inflation were removed. my question mr. secretary what will happen to working families like new york city if we do not have public housing? in new york city, we have 615,000 people who live in public housing and second 8. these are hard working people. i understand that if we want to tackle the issue of poverty, it takes investment. that if we want to tackle the issue of homelessness among veterans, it takes the role of the federal government. and by the way i am proud to report that in new york city the number of homeless veterans in new