Statement from Justin Strickland

I’m running for Congress to make life better for ALL Americans. I recently released a video message sharing some of the specific policies I’ll work on in Congress to address the affordability crisis facing regular Americans. You can watch my video by clicking the following link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTYV3i_jjSu.

I’m a new type of leader for NJ-11: I’m not a party-machine politician, I’m not a millionaire, and I don’t accept PAC money. I’m a true grassroots candidate focused on delivering progressive solutions that will make life better for everyone. I’d be honored to earn your vote in the special election primary on February 5th!

We know America has a housing problem. Solving America’s housing crisis needs real and innovative solutions that benefit regular people rather than developers and corporations. We need solutions that help those who are most in need.

A home is more than a house, more than a place, and much more than an investment. A home is something that can nurture relationships, families, and communities. A home  is the freedom to look ahead to where we want to go. A constituent once told me “property is pride,” and many Americans will never know that pride unless leaders do something about it.

I’ve developed a three-part plan to tackle this issue in Congress: (1) remove the requirement for a 20% down payment and for private mortgage insurance (PMI), (2) tax on corporate and institutional ownership of single-family homes, and (3) tax on properties left vacant for a long period of time

As your Congressman, I’ll eliminate the need for a 20% down payment by creating a federally backed home loan program for first-time, bank-qualified homebuyers. In turn, this will eliminate the requirement for PMI, which doesn’t contribute to paying down your mortgage and hinders your economic freedom. This will remove a major barrier blocking Americans and families from purchasing homes.

Today, an alarming 1/17 homes in New Jersey are corporately and institutionally owned – which includes properties owned under trusts, LLCs, and banks. As your Congressman, I’ll make it illegal for corporations and hedge funds to buy single-family homes. Institutional ownership of single-family homes allows corporations to raise home prices and often leads to higher rents and elevated eviction rates.

Not only are homes a basic need, they also represent pride and freedom. Homes should not be investment schemes, and we cannot allow corporations to treat them as such.

I’ll also introduce a vacancy tax on homeowners and investors holding vacant properties for prolonged periods of time. Owning a vacant home is holding it hostage, wrecking neighborhoods, and depriving the community of the real economic and social benefits it can provide. A vacant home does not support local businesses; a vacant home does not volunteer in town; a vacant home does not help our neighbors; a vacant home does not contribute to the local community.

As your Congressman, I’ll work to break financial barriers blocking access to housing, increase the supply of homes, and support community-led efforts to improve housing across the nation.

We will fight for affordability and justice, every day of the year.

About Justin Strickland:

Justin Strickland is an Army Combat Veteran who served two tours in Iraq – one year as a platoon leader in Baghdad, and another year living with and advising the Iraqi Army in Mosul. He earned a Bronze Star and multiple Army Commendation medals for his service. After the military he served as a federal official in the Pentagon working on economic development in Afghanistan –  traveling to the country 16 times. He currently serves as an elected member of the Chatham Borough Council in Morris County. Justin’s congressional campaign is guided by his mission to make life better for regular people. He is committed to delivering progressive solutions that lower costs and ensure all Americans have the economic liberty and justice to achieve the American Dream.

Visit Justin’s website: https://www.justinstrickland.com/.