Harris new homebuyer plan doesn't exclude siblings, children of homeowners | Fact check
The claim: Kamala Harris’ down payment assistance plan excludes relatives of homebuyers
A Sept. 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) makes a claim about the details of one of Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic proposals.
“The fine print on Harris’s 25K for first time home buyers; if your mother, father, brother, sister has ever owned a home you are NOT eligible,” reads text in the post's image, a screenshot of a TikTok post. “Pretty much a program exclusively for illegals, and YOU’RE going to pay for it.”
It was shared more than 13,000 times in six days. Similar posts were shared thousands of additional times.
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Our rating: False
Harris’s campaign has said her proposal would provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers who paid their rent on time for two years. There is no evidence the program would be limited to people whose parents and siblings haven’t owned a home.
No evidence Harris’ down payment assistance aimed at people in US illegally
Harris outlined her economic policy proposals in August during a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina. She talked about banning price gouging, giving tax credits to new parents and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. She also described a plan to build 3 million “new homes and rentals that are affordable for the middle class” by the end of her first term.
“We also know that as the price of housing has gone up, the size of down payments have gone up as well. Even if aspiring homeowners save for years, it often still is not enough,” Harris said, according to a White House transcript. “So, in addition, while we work on the housing shortage, my administration will provide first-time homebuyers with $25,000 to help with the down payment on a new home.”
Harris’ campaign website has a similar description, indicating she would “provide first-time homebuyers with up to $25,000 to help with their down payments, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners.” Her campaign also released a statement in August that says the down payment assistance would be available to working families who have paid their rent on time for two years.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign declined to provide an on-the-record response when contacted by USA TODAY.
The post claims the exclusion for children or siblings of homeowners is in the "fine print," but there's no such language on Harris' website, in the August statement or in any other statements or documentation.
Most people living in the country illegally can’t get a Social Security number and typically don’t qualify for benefits from government programs, including those that provide housing support.
Fact check: Video of Harris slurring words in Helene warning is edited
Harris’ plan builds on a similar but more limited proposal from President Joe Biden that would provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to “first-generation homebuyers whose families haven’t benefited from the generational wealth building associated with homeownership.”
While it’s still possible for people living in the U.S. illegally to buy property, including homes, it typically requires paying in cash or finding nontraditional financing, according to Business Insider. Still, at least 3 million migrants who reside in the U.S. without authorization live in homes that are owned, not rented, according to the Migration Policy Institute, which analyzed 2019 Census Bureau data.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
The White House, Aug. 16, Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event in Raleigh, NC
The White House, March 7, FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Plan to Lower Housing Costs for Working Families
Kamala Harris website, accessed Oct. 3, Make Rent More Affordable and Home Ownership More Attainable
Harris-Walz campaign, Aug. 16, Vice President Harris Lays Out Agenda to Lower Costs for American Families
Social Security Administration, accessed Oct. 3, Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens
Congressional Research Service, Jan. 23, 2023, Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Housing Programs
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claim misrepresents Harris plan for first time homebuyers | Fact check
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