Future Forum Co-chairs Lead Effort Urging Appropriators to Prioritize Helping Young Americans

Washington, D.C.– Future Forum co-chairs Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX), Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL), Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) led an effort urging House Appropriations leaders to prioritize young Americans when drafting the fiscal year 2024 funding bill. This includes strengthening election infrastructure, investing in education and first-time home ownership, supporting paid internships, funding an Office of Young Americans within the White House, and several other Member priorities that aim to improve the lives of young people.

Read the letter below:

Dear Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member DeLauro:

As you consider funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, we write to share our Future Forum Caucus and Member priorities for your consideration.

Established in 2015, Future Forum serves as a generational caucus comprised of 49 young Democratic Members of Congress who aim to address issues important to young Americans. We strive to bridge the divide between young Americans and their government, engage and empower young voters, and inspire the next generation of leaders in public service.

As you proceed with the FY24 funding bills, Future Forum Caucus respectfully requests the inclusion of:

• $5 Billion over the next 10 years for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC),

Young voters play and will continue to play a prominent role in our elections as our youth understand that their civic engagement does in fact make a difference when it comes to addressing dire issues of importance to them. It is why we secure funding for the Election Assistance Commission as it plays a critical role in ensuring state and local entities have the support and resources needed to successfully carry out elections. Additionally, EAC develops recommendations to address the needs of voters and other election stakeholders to ensure every eligible American can vote independently and with confidence in our election system. Since its inception, the agency has been able to carry out the Help America Vote College Program grants to encourage the participation of college students in our elections by serving as poll workers, while fostering student interest in the election process.

• $73 Million for the American History and Civics Academies and the American History and Civics National Activities, and

Further, we support funding to carry out American History and Civics programs as their objective is to improve the quality of American history, civics, and government education to provide our youth with a wholesome understanding of our history. Such programs provide the

necessary foundation for students to become active participants in our society by giving them an insight on how our government works and how they too can engage and shape our future.

• $10 Billion for the First-Generation Down Payment Assistance Program.

Lastly, over the years, home ownership is a goal that has become extremely near impossible to achieve, particularly for millennials. Elevated housing prices, coupled with high interest rates, stricter lending practices and credit standards are just some of the factors that hinder many from achieving this goal. Yet, despite these challenges, younger generations still have a desire to buy a house. That is why we must invest in programs that assist first time home buyers, like the First Generation Down Payment Assistance Program, to help facilitate the purchase of a home.

Caucus Member funding priorities for FY24:

Through the appropriations process we continue to support programs that intend to make college affordable as education is an opportunity that should be available to every single American. We also support efforts to strengthen our workforce by making Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients eligible for federal employment, creating onramps for young people to join and stay in the public service sector, and create robust pipelines to our workforce.

Download a full copy of the letter here.

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About Future Forum Congressional Caucus: Established in 2015, Future Forum is a generational caucus comprised of 49 members from a diverse cross-section of the Democratic Caucus who are 50 years and younger. Future Forum represents the next generation of leaders in Congress and includes members of all ideological and identify caucuses in the House, members of the Democratic leadership, and the first Gen Z Member of Congress.

To learn more about Future Forum: https://futureforumcaucus-allred.house.gov/