Senator asks White House to step in to help homeowners with tainted drywall

July 28, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With frustrations mounting from homeowners who want to know what kind of help they can expect from the federal government, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida today asked President Barack Obama to streamline federal assistance for consumers who are stuck with tainted drywall from China.

In a letter to the president, Nelson wrote we urgently need “White House mobilization and coordination of all federal resources that could help homeowners.”

Citing the many federal programs that could assist the affected homeowners, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Florida senator asked the president for a “one-stop federal Drywall Assistance Center.”

The drywall, which tests have found contain three suspect or unusual substances - including an ingredient from acrylic paint - is linked to corroded wiring and appliances in homes and also to homeowners’ health problems, such as nosebleeds and breathing difficulties.  Some homeowners have even had to abandon their new houses.

This effort to create a “one-stop shop” for those affected comes as Nelson is working with other lawmakers to push agencies for more help for homeowners and businesses. He joined Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Virginia Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, in a letter to the Small Business Administration to find available financial assistance for homeowners and businesses who have tainted drywall.  Nelson was joined by Sens. Landrieu and Webb in a letter to the heads of Treasury and HUD to ask for mortgage relief and other assistance for homeowners who may be facing foreclosure because they are paying for two residences.

Nelson, who in February initiated an investigation into the drywall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency, last month called for an expanded investigation to include commercial and public buildings.

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