Providing for Consideration of H.R. Saving Homeowners From Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Affordable Housing Over Mandating Efficiency Standards Act; and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, for too many American families, the American Dream seems further out of reach each and every year, especially when it comes to owning a home.

Do my colleagues know that housing is the number one monthly expense for most families? When Washington piles on blue tape mandates and bureaucratic nonsense, working families pay the price.

Under the Biden administration, their so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which was really nothing of the sort, homebuilders were buried under costly green new scam mandates and overregulation, driving up construction costs and pushing homeownership even further out of reach.

This was also known as the green new scam in action. House Republicans are changing that. We are cutting the blue tape. We are lowering costs. We are making homeownership more affordable in 2026 and beyond.

One great example is the Affordable Homes Act, led by my colleague Congresswoman Erin Houchin. This commonsense bill removes unnecessary Federal interference and eliminates costly energy mandates that drive up the price of manufactured housing. This is one of the most affordable pathways to homeownership for first-time buyers, young families, and seniors.

This is just one example, Mr. Speaker, of how House Republicans are working to lower housing prices. As co-chair of the Real Estate Caucus, I worked with the Trump administration to reverse these disastrous policies because the government should get out of the way and not stand in the way of the American Dream.

Back home in Missouri, I have seen exactly what these mandates do. A Kansas builder showed that so-called green energy codes save homeowners only about $125 a year but add more than $1,200 a year to families' mortgages.

It is simple, folks. If a policy costs families more than it saves them, it is not a smart policy. House Republicans are fighting to make housing affordable again. They are putting families first. The first step is this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the rule. I urge passage of this act. Let's make homes affordable in America again and save the American Dream.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source