Rep. Young, Sen. Braun introduce bill to roll back costly Biden admin housing mandate

 U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) recently introduced the HOUSE Act, legislation that would repeal a Biden Administration mandate related to energy standards that would significantly increase the cost of certain new homes.

“Hoosiers of all income levels are experiencing difficulty finding affordable housing. Our bill will repeal a new mandate from the Biden Administration that will unnecessarily drive up housing costs even further,” said Senator Young.

“Buying a home is more expensive than ever for Americans. We shouldn’t be making them even more expensive with government mandates that could add as much as $31,000 to the price of a new home. My bill will repeal this new Biden administration mandate so we can lower the cost of housing for American families,” said Senator Braun.

The HOUSE Act would: 

• Repeal the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Final Determination;
• Require HUD and USDA to revert to the 2009 standards already in effect;
• Prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from implementing a similar mandate for VA mortgages;
• Clarify that the Federal Housing Finance Agency has no statutory authority to impose similar mandates; and
• Reform the underlying law by prohibiting HUD and USDA from adopting new efficiency mandates unless at least 26 states have already adopted similar standards.

Earlier this year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a Final Determination on energy efficiency standards for new construction of HUD- and USDA-Finance Housing. The new mandate requires that all new single-family housing construction financed through the agencies meet the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code standards.

According to the National Association of Homebuilders, these new minimum standards can add as much as $31,000 to the price of a new home, and it will take 90 years for homeowners to realize the energy savings from these regulations. Estimates indicate that for every $1,000 increase in the price of a home, 140,000 Americans are priced out of the housing market.

In addition to Senators Young and Braun, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) also cosponsored the legislation.

Full text of the HOUSE Act can be found here.

For years, Young has worked on housing affordability issues in Congress. In 2023, Young introduced three bills to address the national shortage of affordable housing:

• The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, which would revitalize distressed neighborhoods by creating a tax credit for building and renovating homes in blighted areas.
• The Yes In My Backyard Act (YIMBY Act), which would eliminate barriers to much-needed housing by requiring transparency in local land use, zoning, and housing decisions.
• The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA), which would improve and expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, providing an additional 44,500 units in Indiana alone.