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Facing what could be his final months in Congress, U.S. Rep. Al Green said there is zero doubt about the number one issue holding back communities of color in America.
A lack of access to lending.
“Without question, reservation or hesitation, this is the most important,” Green said during the National Action Network Conference in New York City on Wednesday.
The Houston Democrat said for decades, discrimination against Black borrowers has prevented communities of color from building capital. That means less generational wealth to pass along than communities with easier access.
“We have difficulty acquiring the capitalization to start businesses, to get homes, borrowing money,” Green said in an interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Not only have Black borrowers had a harder time getting loans, but when they get them, they’ve been subjected to worse terms and conditions.
“Much of what is wrong in Black America has to do more with the lack of money than a lot of other things that we have to face,” Green said. “Just can’t get the money that other people get.”
Discriminating against Black borrowers is technically illegal. But Green said the laws need to have tougher enforcement to make sure banks and other lenders are truly making decisions on merit and not based on where borrowers are from or what they look like.
It’s why he’s trying to pass H.R. 166, a bill to create a lending oversight division in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to ensure banks and other lenders comply with anti-discrimination laws. Green said the bill passed the House before, but never became law. He said if Democrats retake the House next year, it will be a priority to get that legislation through.
Sharpton asked Green, first elected to Congress in 2004, about the redistricting in Texas that has put his political career in jeopardy. Republicans in the Texas Legislature passed redistricting maps last year at the behest of the White House that combine Green’s 9th Congressional District with parts of the former 18th Congressional District now represented by U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Houston. The two men now face a May 26 primary runoff election against one another to determine who gets to stay in Congress.
Green said Texas Republicans, led by Gov. Greg Abbott, have intentionally reduced the number of Black people who will represent Houston on Capitol Hill next year.
“Very, very sinister behavior on behalf of the governor and the president of the United States of America,” Green said.
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Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's Up, Who's Down
A daily stock market-style report on key players in Texas politics.
Up: Christian Menefee.
The Houston Congressman picked up a big endorsement heading into the May 26 primary runoff against fellow Democratic Rep. Al Green. The Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education picked Menefee over Green in the race. While any endorsement can help in an election, the AFL-CIO nod is particularly important in low-turnout elections. “In runoffs, Texas union members’ votes could be the deciding factor, and you can bet on Texas union members turning out this May,” Texas AFL-CIO President Leonard Aguilar said.
Down: Texas House Democrats.
More than 50 Democrats in the Texas House could be forced to pay $9,200 in fines and penalties for fleeing the state last summer in their bid to delay passage of the Congressional redistricting plan. The GOP-led House administration committee will convene behind closed doors to consider the financial penalties on Friday. The charges include a $7,000 fee for being absent, plus another $2,000 to cover the $125,000 the state spent trying to round them up and bring them back to Austin. The fines cannot be paid with campaign cash, meaning members must personally foot the bill. Among the members of that committee: U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico, who was one of those Democrats who left Texas to delay the redistricting maps.
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Photo by: Sam González Kelly/Houston Chronicle
Texas is still the fastest-growing state, but a new data analysis shows most of that growth from 2024 to 2025 happened within the Texas Triangle between Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin-San Antonio areas. Outside that area, most counties were flat or actually lost population. Check out our interactive map on the trends in all 254 counties in Texas.
What else I'm reading
Food trucks are about to get a lot more freedom to roam in Texas. Zahiyah Carter at the Texas Tribune looks at how the state is creating a statewide operating permit that will apply to any food truck in Texas instead of making them pay for new permits and inspections anytime they want to sell in a new city or county. Food trucks, depending on the type on the license tier, will end up paying between $300 to $1,350 for the initial application and pre-licensing inspection, and between $300 to $850 per year for license renewal. For many business owners, that consistency beats having to cover new fees and inspections every time they go to a new city or county, where rules and costs can vary greatly.
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