A Bipartisan Approach to the U.S. Housing Shortage

[Sanjeev Advani]

Both Democrat and Republican presidential campaigns have found common ground on housing policy by proposing the use of federal lands for homebuilding. With the U.S. short between 1.5 and 5.5 million housing units, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump see federal land as a resource for tackling the housing crisis.

Their running mates, Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. J.D. Vance, elaborated on the idea, with Vance advocating the development of non-protected federal lands for housing. Some bipartisan congressional legislation, like the HOUSES Act, supports this effort by making portions of federal land available for residential development.

While this approach has promise, experts warn that opening federal lands is only part of the solution. The land is often far from urban areas where housing is needed most, and environmental concerns must be balanced. Despite these challenges, the proposal could complement other housing reforms aimed at addressing the nationwide shortage.