A coalition of Democratic lawmakers in the Senate and the House of Representatives are aiming to reintroduce a bill they say will help address homelessness and home prices across the country. The legislation would bolster investments in federal programs — including some that have been targeted by the Trump administration for funding reductions.
The bill will be introduced by California lawmakers in both chambers. Sen. Alex Padilla will introduce it in the Senate, while its House counterpart will be introduced by Reps. Ted Lieu and Salud Carbajal.
The lawmakers reference the need for additional action based on reports that have emerged over the past several months that detail the potential for program and staff cuts at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“[I]nvestments to boost the affordable housing stock and reduce homelessness are essential,” the lawmakers said. “The investments in the Housing for All Act would build on the creative solutions that cities and states across California have successfully developed to help combat the housing and homelessness crises.”
The bill would increase funding for the National Housing Trust Fund, the HOME Investment Partnerships program, the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program and the Section 811 Supportive Housing Program for People with Disabilities. It would also further invest in housing choice vouchers (HCVs), project-based rental assistance and the emergency solutions grant program.
“For far too long, the lack of affordable housing has hurt Americans nationwide and disproportionately harmed low-income communities and communities of color,” Padilla said.
“Community leaders across California know that we have the tools to end homelessness and lower the cost of housing for Americans, but we need significant federal investments to scale up creative and effective housing solutions.”
The bill has picked up several co-sponsors in the Senate, including Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
It has also picked up the support of 14 House Democrats, but neither version contains a Republican co-sponsor.
The likelihood of fostering enough support in either chamber to get the bill passed is limited — and this is not the first time the bill has been introduced. Most recently, Padilla aimed to introduce it into the Senate in 2023, but it did not progress beyond committee referrals in either chamber.
But there are signs that housing issues are picking up steam among lawmakers.
After a dearth of congressional housing activity — and amid narrowly divided lines of control in each chamber — there are several active housing bills with bipartisan support currently moving through the House and Senate. These include a bill that targets the practice of trigger leads, which some mortgage advocacy organizations have called “abusive.”
But Padilla continues to vocally rail against White House actions and reports of proposed cuts to HUD — including through a joint Democratic condemnation of the administration’s proposed or rumored plans to cut HUD programs, staff and field offices.
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