Addressing Housing Affordability Issues Owning a home has long been an important part of the “American Dream.” But buying one is increasingly out of reach for many Americans. Unfortunately, federal government policies tend to make the problem worse. The highest inflation in a generation is the root of recent housing market turmoil. To address this “Bidenflation,” the Federal Reserve has been increasing interest rates aggressively, driving up home mortgage (and credit card interest) rates to their highest levels in more than 20 years. (It doesn’t help that prices have been rising faster than wages.) The Administration’s war on domestic energy production is another significant factor making homes, and everything else, more expensive. Lowering energy costs is a top priority for House Republicans. We showed our commitment to this goal several months ago when the House passed the Lower Energy Costs Act. If signed into law, H.R. 1 would do a number of things, including prohibit President Biden from banning fracking, repeal restrictions on the import and export of natural gas, and roll back the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The legislation would also repeal one of the harmful provisions in the “Inflation Reduction Act” that offers funding to state and local governments willing to adopt new energy codes that are more costly and restrictive. In a report released earlier this year that looked at Massachusetts, the National Association of Home Builders estimated that the “specialized stretch energy code” could increase the cost of constructing a house by anywhere from 1.8% to 3.8%, which would add roughly $10,000 to $23,000 to the median cost of a single-family home. My Republican colleagues and I will continue to fight for “all of the above” domestic energy production, including natural gas and renewables; reining in the federal bureaucracy that has amassed too much power, beyond the bounds of the Constitution; and reducing federal spending, which would ease inflation and allow the Fed to lower interest rates without relaunching the inflation we have seen in the Biden years. No votes this week. The House will be in session on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Arkansas Democrat Gazette Arkansas Republican politicians respond to third Trump indictment Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, described the latest charges as a baseless attack against Trump. "This indictment seems to be the latest salvo in Democrats' seven-year campaign to lie about and destroy former President Donald Trump," the congressman said Wednesday in a statement. "If the allegations made are true, it does not show Trump or his aides in a favorable light. However, much of this new indictment cites First Amendment-protected speech, legal advice, and advocacy, dangerous things to criminalize when the leader of one political party is prosecuting the leader of the other party." Crawford additionally levied criticism against the Justice Department, arguing the agency has done little to address the actions of Hunter Biden. House Republicans have pursued investigations regarding whether the president was involved in his son's financial dealings. "Two systems of justice are destabilizing the nation and causing a much deeper divide," he said. Rep. Crawford | 2422 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]