{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/scholten-bresnahan-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-make-housing-more", "Scholten, Bresnahan Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Make Housing More Affordable", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Hillary J. Scholten", "S001221", "scholten.house.gov", "scholten", "https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Representatives Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) and Rob Bresnahan (R-PA-08) introduced the Unlocking Affordable Housing Act, new legislation that would make it easier for developers to obtain loans to build new housing units, ultimately helping to lower housing costs for Americans.\n\n\u201cThis legislation doesn\u2019t just finance housing development - it opens doors for families,\u201d said Rep. Scholten. \u201cSafe, affordable housing is a core part of the American dream that is slipping out of reach for too many. The Unlocking Affordable Housing Act would streamline development and boost the housing supply, driving down prices to help Americans\u2019 dollars go further.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know all too well that young families and first-time home buyers are priced out of the housing market, which is delaying their ability to live the American dream,\u201d said Rep. Bresnahan. \u201cFinding ways to expand availability of existing Federal programs to finance the construction of new home units is critically important to increasing the country\u2019s housing supply and lowering barriers to entry. I\u2019m proud to partner with Rep. Scholten to introduce this legislation and help our constituents find affordable avenues towards home ownership.\u201d\n\nIn 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) amended two federal programs\u2013the Transportation Infrastructure and Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) and the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) programs\u2013that provide federal loans for transportation projects. These changes allowed loans to also be used to finance housing development projects.\n\nAs the BIL has been implemented, however, housing developments and local governments have experienced difficulty in obtaining TIFIA and RRIF funding because of the significant differences in creditworthiness standards required for housing projects as opposed to transit projects. As a result, housing developers have found it difficult to take full advantage of these financing opportunities. The Unlocking Affordable Housing Act would require the DOT and HUD to leverage their joint expertise to establish new appropriate creditworthiness standards for housing and mixed-use development projects, ultimately making it easier for housing projects to secure TIFIA and RRIF funds.\n\nThis bill has been endorsed by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), and the National League of Cities.\n\n\"The National Association of REALTORS\u00ae supports the Unlocking Affordable Housing Act,\u201d says Shannon McGahn, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer for NAR. \u201cThis bipartisan bill will make it easier for communities to finance new housing near public transportation by ensuring the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development work together to establish appropriate lending standards for residential projects. More financing options means more homes built, which helps address our nation's housing shortage and will lower housing costs for families across the country.\"\n\n\"NMHC thanks Representatives Scholten and Bresnahan for introducing this critical legislation to unleash TIFIA\u2019s full potential and promote housing near transit. This bill will drive housing production in areas that are seamlessly connected to those where Americans work and play and, in turn, make housing more affordable in communities across the country,\u201d said NMHC President Sharon Wilson Geno.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/scholten-bresnahan-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-make-housing-more"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6992509588599205, "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"}