FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 12th, 2024
CONTACT: Emma Settle, (202) 225-4311
WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-05) led a letter with several of his GOP colleagues to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to express their concerns surrounding the agency's initiative to limit access to mortgage financing. The final determination would require all HUD and USDA-financed single-family homes to be constructed under the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or ASHRAE 90.1-2019.
This would be costly and detrimental to the already limited available housing supply. Instead of encouraging a strong solution to the housing crisis, the Biden Administration is actively making it worse with mandates such as this one. Congressman Ogles and his colleagues requested that the determination be withdrawn and that the agencies refrain from initiating any other policies that might interfere with housing availability and new construction.
“This is yet another example of the Biden Administration’s efforts to keep Americans down. Folks are already struggling to buy homes as interest rates remain high. To add an average of $31,000 on top of the inflated housing prices is unimaginable,” said Congressman Ogles. “This mandate will harm the ability of individuals and families to buy homes and provide little to no benefit to those forced to rent instead of purchase. I appreciate my colleagues for joining me in urging Acting HUD Secretary Todman and USDA Secretary Vilsack to rescind this determination and stop interfering with people's ability to live the American Dream.”
Letter Cosigners [8]: Reps. Warren Davidson (OH-08), Alex X. Mooney (WV-02), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Byron Donalds (FL-19), John Rose (TN-06), Dan Meuser (PA-09), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), and Roger Williams (TX-25).
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/ogles-sends-letter-hud-usda-regarding-costly-energy-mandate