WASHINGTON – Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) introduced the HUD-USDA-VA Interagency Coordination Act, which would encourage greater inter-governmental coordination to address the rising cost and limited supply of housing in communities in Arizona and across the country.
“Addressing the housing affordability crisis in this country requires a whole-of-government response. But right now, the federal agencies that deal with housing aren’t working together as efficiently as they should,” said Senator Gallego. “I’m glad to work across the aisle to introduce this commonsense legislation to ensure veterans and rural communities get the housing support they deserve.”
Arizona has a significant housing affordability problem. The average Arizona home costs 55.2 percent more today than it did at the end of 2019, and from 2017 to 2023, rental prices across Arizona surged by 53 percent.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have offered housing support programs for decades. Closer coordination can help agencies learn from shared housing-related data and deliver services more effectively.
The bill directs HUD, USDA, and the VA to increase coordination by sharing relevant housing-related research and market data to facilitate evidence-based policymaking around housing. The three agencies are also required to submit a report to Congress on opportunities for increased collaboration to improve efficiencies in housing programs.
“Homeownership is out of reach for far too many families in Pennsylvania, including our nation’s veterans,” said Senator McCormick. “We need federal agencies to work together more effectively to increase the limited supply of housing and reduce housing costs.”
Read the full text of the legislation HERE.
This legislation continues Senator Gallego’s work to increase affordable housing in Arizona. He recently introduced the Housing Affordability Act, which would increase the supply of affordable housing by increasing the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) outdated multifamily loan limits; the Housing Vouchers Fairness Act, which would update the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) decades-old Housing Choice Voucher allocation formula; and the Appraisal Industry Improvement Act to address the nationwide shortage of licensed home appraisers and improve access to housing in rural and tribal communities in Arizona.
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