A new bill was introduced in the US Senate to coordinate housing policy between three Executive Branch departments.
Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) put forth the HUD-USDA-VA Interagency Coordination Act, which is designed to encourage greater inter-governmental coordination between the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs. According to the senators, the bill directs HUD, USDA, and the VA to establish a memorandum of understanding to share relevant housing-related research and market data that will be used to chart housing policy. The three departments will also be 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,” McCormick said. “We need federal agencies to work together more effectively to increase the limited supply of housing and reduce housing costs.”
“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,” added 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.”
