Actor Brad Pitt said Monday that he had a "great conversation" with Vice President Biden about low-income housing in the United States.
The Hollywood superstar has used his celebrity clout and political savvy to raise awareness about the housing problems in New Orleans brought to the forefront by Hurricane Katrina.
Pitt, who says he has a passion for architecture, established Make It Right, a group dedicated to helping rebuild the hardest hit areas of New Orleans with cost-effective, energy-efficient homes.
The "Moneyball" star told CBS "This Morning" on Monday that he wanted to build sustainable, well-built homes for low-income families to prevent a similar disaster from happening again.
When asked if there is a role for the federal government in addressing the problem, Pitt said, "HUD [the Department of Housing and Urban Development] helped us out a lot. HUD is doing some great things in this direction, but I think it's gotta be the national program.
"Let's just make the shift. Why are we still paying — you know, exporting so much of our GDP, half a trillion dollars to support this dependency on oil? Why are we still fighting it with our military? Why are we still polluting the environment? It just makes no sense for us anymore."
Pitt told CBS that the vice president seemed responsive to his ideas during their meeting.
In January, Pitt and his wife, actress and human-rights activist Angelina Jolie, were caught on camera visiting the White House and meeting with President Obama.
"I wouldn't say I know him. I've been able to meet him," Pitt said. "Yes, I am absolutely a supporter."
Pitt starts talking politics around the 5:25 minute mark in the CBS interview.
