Lowering Housing Costs in America

congressman allen's e-newsletter

Lowering Housing Costs in America

For many years, buying and owning a home was a reachable and significant achievement for American workers. But unfortunately, in today’s economic conditions, many young Americans are realizing that the dream of home ownership has become just that: a dream. In the state of Georgia, the average home is valued at over $320,000, which is simply out of reach for countless young families.

This week, the House passed H.R. 5184, the Affordable HOMES Act, with my support. Under current law, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have the authority to set energy efficiency standards for manufactured homes. Authorizing two federal agencies to accomplish the same goal only serves to create conflicting standards and confusion. Specifically, H.R. 5184 eliminates DOE’s authority to issue energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing, while maintaining HUD’s full regulatory authority.

With over 40 years of experience in the construction industry, I can tell you firsthand just how overbearing, expensive, and burdensome federal regulations can be. H.R. 5184 makes meaningful strides to lower housing costs and restore the American Dream of home ownership for millions of families.

Watch my remarks on the House floor HERE.

Restoring Regular Order to the Appropriations Process

I have long said that Congress needs to return to regular order in the appropriations process. This week, House Republicans made meaningful progress in responsibly funding the government by passing a package of three annual appropriations bills: the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026.

Together, these bills advance American leadership by:

Funding and supporting the critical missions being carried out at the Savannah River Site
Bolstering our long-term national security by investing in our nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure
Halting the spread of fentanyl and other illicit and deadly drugs in the U.S. through increased funding for the Drug Enforcement Agency
Holding foreign countries accountable for unfair trade practices
Banning the sale of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China
Increasing funding for oil and gas development

With this appropriations package, House Republicans are following through on our promises to gut wasteful bureaucracy, bolster our national security, restore American energy dominance, and put America first while returning to fiscal responsibility.

Attending the New Year's Reception at the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence & Fort Gordon

Friday evening, I was honored to attend the Commanding Generals' New Year's reception at the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon.

As the headquarters of the U.S. Army Cyber Command, U.S. Army's Cyber Center of Excellence, NSA-Georgia, and select Army National Guard functions, I am confident that the new year will bring continued growth to Fort Gordon and the CSRA. Thank you for having me!

This Week's White House Highlight

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established under House Republicans' Working Families Tax Cuts legislation, which I proudly supported.

The Rural Health Transformation Program is a national commitment to improving the health and well-being of rural communities across the country. With this funding, states will implement comprehensive strategies to improve care delivery, support providers, and advance new approaches to coordinating health care services across rural communities.

I am proud to announce that OVER $218 MILLION of this funding will be allocated to Georgia's rural hospitals! This unprecedented investment will help Georgia and other states expand rural access to care, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality care closer to home.

This Week's Committee Activity

Energy and Commerce Committee

Subcommittee on Energy hearing:

"American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era"

Nuclear energy is vital to America's energy dominance. During this hearing, I highlighted Plant Vogtle and asked our witnesses how developing new nuclear power plants can help lower energy costs for families.

Watch my remarks HERE.

Education and Workforce Committee

Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions hearing:

"Modernizing Retirement Policy for Today’s Workforce"

During this hearing, the subcommittee focused on maximizing the retirement security of American workers and the need to strengthen defined contribution plans as retirement needs continue to evolve.

Read my opening statement HERE.

Read the hearing recap HERE.

Watch my remarks HERE.

Full Committee Markup:

The committee advanced two bills to protect pregnant students’ right to pursue an education and give Department of Labor (DOL) staff better tools to spot human trafficking and help stop exploitation.

H.R. 6359, Pregnant Students’ Rights Act
H.R. 4307, Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking

Follow me on Social Media!

Social media is a great way to stay connected and I encourage you to keep up with my work in Congress by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and following me on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

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As always, my office is here to help. If you'd like to email me, please click here.

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Sincerely,

Rick Allen
Member of Congress