Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025

Summary

On December 3, 2025, the House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing titled "Building Capacity: Reducing Government Roadblocks to Housing Supply" to examine over 40 housing bills aimed at addressing the nation's housing shortage. The bills under consideration included measures to streamline regulations, modernize housing programs, and remove barriers to construction and financing. Key legislation discussed included the HUD Accountability Act, the Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act, the Strengthening Housing Supply Act, and bills addressing manufactured housing standards and rural housing. Four witnesses testified before the committee with differing perspectives. Kevin Sears, Immediate Past President of the National Association of Realtors, emphasized that burdensome building, permitting, zoning, and financing rules are constraining housing supply and pricing out first-time homebuyers. He highlighted the construction workforce shortage and proposed solutions including updating capital gains exclusions and removing builder barriers. Julie Smith, Chief Administrative Officer of Bozzuto, discussed how the current economic and regulatory environment impedes apartment development. Tobias Peter of the American Enterprise Institute Housing Center addressed the need for increased housing production and modernized lending practices. Nikitra Bailey, Executive Vice President of the National Fair Housing Alliance, raised concerns about fair housing enforcement, noting that housing discrimination complaints are at record highs and that federal fair housing protections have been weakened. Key themes discussed included the need to streamline zoning and construction regulations, expand innovative housing types like modular and manufactured homes, address the skilled labor shortage in construction, and balance housing supply expansion with fair housing protections. Representatives questioned witnesses on rising housing prices, regulatory barriers, manufactured housing, and the importance of fair housing enforcement. The committee planned to hold a markup of many of these bills on December 16 and 17, though a hearing does not guarantee legislation will advance.

Video

Witnesses(4)