Congress Approves $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill
NAHB supports the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the House today and approved by the Senate this summer.
Shortly before the legislation cleared the Senate in August, NAHB applauded lawmakers for omitting onerous regulatory proposals that would hurt housing affordability.
“NAHB commends Senate Democrats and Republicans for working together with the Biden administration to craft a bipartisan infrastructure package that will make much-needed improvements to the nation’s roads, bridges, broadband and public transportation network while rejecting costly regulatory proposals that would harm housing affordability,” NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke said following Senate passage. “Thriving real estate markets depend on high-quality, accessible and efficient infrastructure, and this bill will better and more safely connect Americans to their homes, places of work and local communities.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act contains several provisions that will boost housing affordability:
- By including Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) Energy Infrastructure Act, this legislation advances efforts to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions without stringent energy code mandates that will increase housing prices.
- The measure restores an exemption for water and sewer contributions in aid of construction that will save some developers as much as 40% on water and sewer costs.
- The bill also streamlines the federal permitting process, which will minimize uncertainty in the housing approval process and make the homes that are built more affordable.
One area of concern regards the use of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee fees as a source of funding to pay for the cost of the legislation. In a letter to lawmakers, NAHB stated that “guarantee fees should only be used as a risk management tool for the Enterprises [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] to guard against potential mortgage credit losses and not to offset other government spending.”
Despite this provision, the legislation is a net plus for housing and contains important provisions that will enhance housing affordability.
Latest from NAHBNow
May 02, 2025
How to Diversify Your Remodeling Business for GrowthTo celebrate National Home Remodeling Month, NAHB will host two Shop Talks, sponsored by Westlake Royal Building Products, to help remodelers diversify their business and build greener.
May 02, 2025
Home Builders: How to Scale Your Projects to Sustain Profitable GrowthToo many builders still feel like they’re grinding. They build a few homes at a time, reinvest their profits, and hope the next project pays off a little more than the last. It doesn’t have to be that way. The builders who scale create lasting wealth. And the key to faster scaling is smarter financing.
Latest Economic News
May 01, 2025
Housing’s Share of the Economy Grows Higher to Start the YearHousing’s share of the economy grew to 16.4% in the first quarter of 2025, according to the advance estimate of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is the highest reading since the third quarter of 2022 and is up 0.2 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2024.
Apr 30, 2025
U.S. Economy Contracted in First Quarter of 2025The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2025 for the first time in three years, driven by a sharp surge in pre-tariff imports, softening consumer spending, and a decline in government spending.
Apr 30, 2025
House Sharing is Not Just for Young AdultsA record-high 6.8 million households shared their housing with unrelated housemates, roommates or boarders in 2023. While college-age and young adults make up the largest subset of house sharers (close to 41%), this type of living arrangement is gaining popularity among older householders fastest, with the 55+ segment accounting for 30% of all house-sharing households in 2023.