{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-fitzgerald-tours-oaks-jackson-highlights-housing-legislation-inspired", "Rep. Fitzgerald Tours Oaks of Jackson, Highlights Housing Legislation Inspired by Washington County Initiative", "2026-08-26", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Scott Fitzgerald", "F000471", "fitzgerald.house.gov", "fitzgerald", "https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "JACKSON, WI \u2013 Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) toured the Oaks of Jackson, a Washington County Next Generation Housing development, to highlight the county\u2019s efforts to expand attainable homeownership opportunities and discuss his recently introduced Working Families Home Construction Act, which was inspired by the county\u2019s successful housing initiative.\n\nThe Working Families Home Construction Act is designed to help address the nation\u2019s housing supply shortage by making construction financing more accessible to builders. The bill would allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase qualifying residential construction loans at low interest rates, helping builders access gap financing needed to produce more middle-class housing.\n\n\u201cWashington County has shown that innovative financing can help get more homes built for working families,\u201d said Congressman Fitzgerald. \u201cMy Working Families Home Construction Act takes the lessons learned here in Wisconsin and brings them to the federal level, helping builders access the financing they need to build more middle-class housing across the country.\u201d\n\nBuilders across the country are ready to build, but too often cannot access affordable construction financing needed for land acquisition, infrastructure, site preparation, and other upfront development costs, making it difficult for developers to build anything but upper-income homes.\n\n\u201cFixing the housing shortage in the United States is one of the top issues we face,\u201d said Congressman Fitzgerald. \u201cWashington County has developed a successful model for overcoming barriers to housing construction, and we need to build on that success so more hardworking Americans can achieve the dream of homeownership.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat started as a local solution to a challenge facing Washington County is now helping shape the national conversation about housing,\u201d said Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann. \u201cOur Next Generation Housing Initiative demonstrates what can be accomplished when county and municipal leaders work alongside builders, employers and community partners. By reducing barriers to construction and focusing on attainable homeownership, we are helping more working families achieve the American Dream while strengthening the workforce our local businesses need.\u201d\n\nDuring the tour, Congressman Fitzgerald joined Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, Village of Jackson Administrator Jen Heidke, local housing partners, and Next Generation Housing homeowners to view homes within the Oaks of Jackson and discuss the importance of increasing the supply of attainable, owner-occupied housing.", 1, "2026-08-27T16:10:01Z", "2026-08-27T16:10:50Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-fitzgerald-tours-oaks-jackson-highlights-housing-legislation-inspired"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4690388925373554, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}