(THE DAILY POSTER) Christof Rindlisbacher, October 27, 2020

Facing a tough reelection battle in a newly competitive district, Texas Republican Rep. Van Taylor has brandished his conservative bona fides by taking hardline stances against legislation to forgive some student debt and to provide assistance for rentersfacing eviction during the pandemic.

Taylor’s fiscal conservatism, however, has not extended to the real estate industry, which is not only his largest campaign donor but which he is personally invested in. Taylor, a real estate mogul, has pressured federal regulators to funnel cash to commercial real estate companies, and he has authored legislation that would create a bailout fund for his industry and direct the government to guarantee riskier commercial real estate loans.

In a press release, Taylor touted his legislation, which has been co-sponsored by an array of finance-friendly Democrats, as a way to provide “flexibility and support” for the commercial real estate sector, designed to “keep their doors open, drive their local economies, and support families across the country.”

It could also provide direct support for Van Taylor. Federal disclosure records reviewed by The Daily Poster show that Taylor has invested in more than two dozen commercial real estate properties worth up to $10.7 million. Taylor has also acceptedmore than $200,000 in campaign contributions from the real estate industry this election cycle.

Taylor’s push for legislation that could preserve the value of his own investment holdings follows revelations that Republicans’ 2017 real estate tax breaks may have enriched a number of GOP lawmakers who sculpted that legislation.

Source: https://www.dailyposter.com/p/gop-lawmaker-leads-fight-to-get-his?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4OTQyNTc0LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNDU5ODEyNiwiXyI6IlZhTUlOIiwiaWF0IjoxNjAzNzk3NjY4LCJleHAiOjE2MDM4MDEyNjgsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zNzc3OCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.BxGyTGjKQZETj9n-bHT0_fjTas3lA7lG_y31ud0lPaE