Harris: 'Former Leader Hoyer — Current Leader Hoyer' and 'We Have Reduced Heating and Electricity Bills' (February 22, 2023)

Vice President Kamala Harris went to Bowie State University in Maryland to announce a cut in mortgage insurance, and she promoted the congressman standing nearby twice in one sentence. “Every day, Joe Biden and I talk about and work together with our partners, like former leader Hoyer — current leader Hoyer — to lower the cost for the people of our nation, because you are a leader,” Harris said on Feb. 22, 2023, according to the official White House transcript [1].

Minutes earlier, she had introduced Rep. Steny Hoyer correctly. “And it is good to be with former Majority Leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer. Steny, I want to thank you always,” Harris said [1].

Then came the claim. “For working families, we have reduced heating and electricity bills so folks have more money in their pocket to buy things like school supplies, replace the dishwasher, or take a family vacation,” Harris said [1].

The video above shows Harris at Bowie State on Feb. 22, 2023. Quotes are from the official White House transcript [1].

”We Have Reduced Heating and Electricity Bills”

Government price data tell a different story. The average price of electricity for homes was 13.15 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2020, the year before Biden and Harris took office. It rose to 13.66 cents in 2021 and 15.04 cents in 2022, then 16.00 cents in 2023, the year Harris made the claim, according to the Energy Information Administration [2].

Home heating with natural gas followed the same path. The average residential price was $10.78 per thousand cubic feet in 2020, $12.18 in 2021, $14.75 in 2022 and $15.40 in 2023, EIA figures show [3].

Harris also touted lower insulin and internet costs. “For seniors, we capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month so our seniors don’t have to choose between filling a doctor’s prescription or paying for groceries,” she said. “And for millions of students and parents and small-business owners, we cut the cost of high-speed Internet bills by $30 a month.” [1]

“You Work Hard and You Work Good”

Harris walked the crowd through the problem the new rule was meant to solve. “So let’s say that you dream of buying a home like so many hardworking people, and you have a steady job, and you work hard and you work good, but your credit score could be a little bit better,” she said [1].

“That is why today I am proud to announce that starting on March 20th, we are reducing mortgage insurance payments for all new FHA homeowners by nearly 40 percent,” Harris said. “On average, homeowners will pay at least $800 a year less on their mortgage, and that’s 800 more dollars in your pocket for household expenses.” [1]

She explained why the government insures the loans. “And the way that it works is by insuring those loans against default. Because, arguably, we’re talking about folks that might be higher risk on the books,” Harris said [1].

The bigger cost was the loan itself. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.50% that week, according to Freddie Mac’s survey, up from 2.77% the week Biden and Harris were sworn in [4].

”Mommy, Which Is What We Called Her”

Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge “wanted to be here today,” Harris said, but was not. “So in her absence, about her I must say she is a former mayor, a former member of Congress,” Harris said [1].

Harris told a story from her childhood. “And then there was this one afternoon where my mother — our mother — called my sister Maya and me in. We were in high school at the time,” she said [1].

“And mommy, which is what we called her, was telling us that after her years of saving, she was ready to become a homeowner,” Harris said [1].

She closed with a familiar style. “And so this work we do — this work we do, understanding we have to see people in their whole selves, and all of the facets that are part of every person that must be seen and addressed, we do this work because we know that when we lower costs for working people, when working people can buy a home, when working people can thrive, our nation thrives,” Harris said [1].

”I Held the Banks Accountable”

She also recalled her time as California’s top lawyer. “And so, being attorney general, I held the banks accountable, as did many of our partners around the country. And for California, we were able to secure $20 billion for the homeowners of California,” Harris said [1].

By the Numbers

13 minutes: Harris spoke from 3:48 to 4:01 p.m. [1].
Nearly 40 percent: the cut in FHA mortgage insurance payments she announced [1].
850,000+: Americans a year she said would benefit [1].
16.00 cents: the average residential electricity price per kilowatt-hour in 2023 [2].
6.50%: the average 30-year mortgage rate that week [4].

What Happened Next

The internet discount ran out. The program behind the “$30 a month” claim was the Affordable Connectivity Program. “The ACP ended on June 1, 2024, due to a lack of additional funding from Congress,” according to the agency that ran it [5].

Harris lost. She became the Democratic nominee in 2024 and lost to Donald Trump, 312 electoral votes to 226, according to the National Archives [6].

For Harris at the Rainbow PUSH convention that July, see HYGO News’ page on July 16, 2023. For Biden’s “Bidenomics” pitch in Milwaukee that August, see the page on Aug. 15, 2023.