Van Hollen Joins Warren, Warnock, Cleaver in Re-Introducing Comprehensive Bill to Lower Housing Costs and Address Housing Crisis

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Miss.), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, in re-introducing the comprehensive American Housing and Economic Mobility Act to address our nation’s housing crisis. The bill would leverage federal funding to build nearly three million new housing units, bring down rents by 10% for American families, and create incentives for local governments to eliminate unnecessary land use restrictions that drive up costs. 

The re-introduction of the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2025 comes the day before the first hearing on housing in this Congress in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. At the hearing, Ranking Member Warren will speak on this bill and other proposals to address the housing crisis, as part of her efforts to lead bipartisan conversations on substantive housing policy.

Other bill co-sponsors include Senators Markey (D-Mass.), Hirono (D-Hawaii), Welch (D-Vt.), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sanders (I-Vt.), and Kim (D-N.J.). 

According to an independent analysis by the non-partisan Moody’s Analytics, the bill would build or rehabilitate nearly 3 million housing units over the next decade and bring down rents for lower-income and middle-class families by 10%, saving the average family $140 per month. To fully offset the cost of this historic effort, the bill returns the estate tax thresholds to their levels at the end of the George W. Bush administration, institutes more progressive rates above those thresholds, and closes certain loopholes.

“Whether you’re looking to rent or buy a home, it’s getting harder and harder for Americans to find housing that doesn’t break their bank account. From spurring the development of millions of affordable new homes to helping first-time homebuyers make their first down payment, this legislation offers the bold solutions we need to tackle America’s housing crisis head-on and help more Americans afford good homes,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“Americans are suffering under the weight of sky-high housing prices, and Congress must act. My comprehensive bill would build 3 million new homes across America, bring down rents by 10%, and create incentives for local governments to cut unnecessary red tape that drives up costs,” said Senator Warren. “I look forward to continuing bipartisan conversations about meaningful solutions to our nation’s housing crisis.” 

“Housing means dignity, safety, and security, and as a Senator who grew up in public housing, I know that strengthening housing availability and affordability is critical to helping folks establish a solid foundation to build a healthy future,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “That is why I am proud to fight for this transformational legislation that will unleash construction of millions of new homes and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the process.”

“Housing remains the largest expense, and affordability the highest priority, for most American families,” said Congressman Cleaver. “While the Trump Administration is focused on igniting a global trade war and ripping healthcare away from working class families, I’m proud to introduce the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act with Senators Warren and Warnock to strengthen America’s housing stock and drive down the cost of housing and homeownership, which is the foundation upon which families can climb the economic ladder and build generational wealth.”

“Everyone deserves a chance at the American dream. But our housing crisis is exacerbating an affordability crisis — especially in rural America. It’s harder than ever before for folks in Vermont, and across America, to buy a home or even think about saving enough for a down payment,” said Senator Welch. “This bill will deliver historic federal investments to lower housing costs, create grant programs that support borrowers, and ensure that everyone—in every zip-code—can find a place to live at a fair, affordable price.”

“This transformative measure delivers the bold action we need to address the burgeoning housing crisis facing workers and families nationwide. We must make major investments in new housing—before sky-high prices make decent homes totally unaffordable for American families. These investments will spur construction, and make both renting and buying homes financially viable. Our American Housing and Economic Mobility Act will help lower prices for renters and buyers with significant investments in home construction and commonsense reforms to rectify decades of housing discrimination, said Senator Blumenthal.

The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act would:

• Leverage federal funding to build nearly 3 million new housing units – bringing down rents for lower-income and middle-class families by 10% according to an independent analysis from Moody’s Analytics
• Provide assistance to people hurt by federal housing policy failures, including through:
• Down payment assistance to first-time, first-generation homebuyers
• VA-guaranteed home loan eligibility for descendants of certain veterans
• A grant program for communities with an appraisal gap
• Create incentives for local governments to eliminate unnecessary land use restrictions that drive up costs
• Limit the role of private equity in the housing market
• Hold financial institutions accountable for providing access to credit for all Americans.
• Promote mobility by strengthening anti-discrimination laws and improving the housing voucher program
• Increase the amount of accessible housing

More than 50 non-profit organizations, ranging from unions to housing advocates, have endorsed the bill, including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). A coalition of Massachusetts mayors, civil rights groups, the National Rural Housing Coalition, and the Cooperative Credit Union Association submitted letters of support. 

The full list of endorsing organizations includes:

Unions: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

Housing Organizations: National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Housing Law Project, National Rural Housing Coalition, National Community Stabilization Trust, National Housing Resource Center, National Neighborworks Association, Center for NYC Neighborhoods, National Women’s Shelter Network, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), Leaders and Organizers for Tenant Empowerment (LOFTE) Network, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants

Civil Rights Organizations: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Urban League, National Women’s Law Center, Coalition on Human Needs, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), Poverty & Race Research Action Council, Massachusetts Action for Justice, Mountain State Justice, National Fair Housing Alliance, African Communities Together, Appleseed Foundation, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Women’s Law Center, UnidosUS, Children's Defense Fund

Consumer Protection Organizations: Consumer Federation of America, Center for Responsible Lending, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), Consumer Action, Accountable.US, National Association of Consumer Advocates

Economic Justice Organizations: Americans for Financial Reform, Rise Economy (formerly California Reinvestment Coalition), National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Patriotic Millionaires, Community Opportunity Alliance (formerly NACEDA), Groundwork Collaborative, Voices for Progress, Liberation in a Generation, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), Empire State Justice, Justice in Aging, Just LeadershipUSA, Campaign for America’s Future, Campaign for America’s Future

Credit Unions: Cooperative Credit Union Association

“The ‘American Housing and Economic Mobility Act’ has the power to transform lives and communities,” said NLIHC Interim President and CEO Renee Willis. “By significantly expanding investments in proven solutions, like the national Housing Trust Fund and Public Housing, this legislation provides resources at the scale necessary to help those most harmed by America’s housing crisis. I applaud Senator Warren, Senator Warnock, and Representative Cleaver for their leadership in advancing bold solutions to address an underlying cause of America’s housing crisis: the severe shortage of rental homes affordable to our nation’s lowest-income and most marginalized households.”

“Anybody who cares about repairing what’s broken in American society understands that getting housing costs back in line with what working-class people can really afford is a mandatory step in that process,” said Jesse Van Tol, President and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). “This important legislation may have an acronym that sounds like someone politely asking for your attention, but the tens of millions of families that can hardly make ends meet because of the issues AHEM addresses are ready to scream. I applaud Senator Warren and Representative Cleaver for continuing to push for a sensible and sustainable set of policies that would allow all Americans to thrive.”

“We proudly support the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act introduced by Senator Warren and Congressman Cleaver,” said Sharon Cornelissen, Director of Housing at the Consumer Federation of America. “Amidst historically high housing prices and limited supply, millions of Americans across the country are struggling to afford to rent or buy a home. This bill would turbocharge affordable housing construction, incentivize communities to remove exclusionary and unfair zoning restrictions, and ensure that first-generation homebuyers including veterans get their chance at building wealth through homeownership too.”

“Amid a shortage of affordable rentals, the crushing influence of private equity in the housing market, and unfair lending practices, our housing affordability crisis has reached a breaking point. The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act offers a real opportunity to make housing more affordable and accessible for communities nationwide. We applaud Sen. Warren, Rep. Cleaver, and the cosponsors for their leadership on common sense policies to help millions of working families move closer to having a home to call their own,” said Caroline Ciccone, Accountable.US President.

The full text of the bill is available here.