National Housing Emergency Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Rep. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI-7]
Introduced
Summary
Mobilize emergency powers to rapidly expand housing supply. This bill would add residential construction and rehabilitation to the Defense Production Act and prompt emergency authorities to speed production of building materials and housing units while cutting regulatory barriers to build faster.
Show full summary
- Families: Aims to increase housing supply to relieve price and rent pressure by accelerating construction and rehabilitation and by setting a termination trigger tied to adding 4 million housing units or October 1, 2031.
- Builders and workers: Expands DPA coverage to residential work and urges measures to boost domestic material production, citing a potential to unlock about 2 million jobs, including over 700,000 construction jobs, and add roughly $2 trillion to GDP through 2035.
- State, local, and regulatory impact: Conditions federal block grants on meeting new “Pro-Growth” criteria that require zoning and permitting changes, consolidates or waives certain environmental reviews, and speeds Build America, Buy America waiver decisions with a 30-day deadline.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Faster approvals for housing projects
If enacted, the bill would speed federal approvals and pause some program limits while the national housing emergency is in effect. When more than one federal program helps the same housing project, only one NEPA environmental review would be required. HUD-funded preservation and infill projects would not need federal environmental review during the emergency. The bill would suspend certain statutory and regulatory constraints that slow housing funding and would require HUD to decide Build America waiver requests within 30 days, otherwise the waiver would be deemed issued.
Minimum building code for homes
If enacted, the bill would require that housing built or rehabilitated during the national housing emergency meet set minimum codes. Site-built housing would need to meet the 2009 International Residential Code or an equivalent with local amendments. Manufactured housing would need to meet the federal manufactured-housing standard at 24 C.F.R. part 3280. These rules apply only while the emergency is in effect.
Block grants tied to housing growth
If enacted, HUD and DOT would create a Pro-Growth Requirement within 30 days to make federal block grants conditional on local housing growth during the emergency. Grantees would need year-over-year housing growth using Census building permit and address data, action to remove zoning and permitting barriers, and clear measurable housing goals in their consolidated plan. The bill would also bar states and local governments from imposing land-use rules that substantially burden housing construction or rehab while the emergency lasts. Grantees could appeal denials by showing measurable steps to increase housing.
Emergency powers for housing production
If enacted, the bill would expand the Defense Production Act to explicitly cover residential construction and rehabilitation. It would add "residential construction and rehabilitation" into the DPA text so those authorities could be used for housing materials and supply. The bill would also end the national housing emergency on the earlier of: (1) when 4,000,000 additional housing units are built or rehabbed compared to the date of enactment, or (2) October 1, 2031. Ending the emergency would stop the special housing powers described in the Act.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI-7]
MI • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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