Washington, D.C., May 8, 2025 – Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the HUD-USDA-VA Interagency Coordination Act, which would encourage greater inter-governmental coordination to address the rising cost and limited supply of housing in communities in Pennsylvania and across the country.
“Homeownership is out of reach for far too many families in Pennsylvania, including our nation’s veterans,” Senator McCormick said. “We need federal agencies to work together more effectively to increase the limited supply of housing and reduce housing costs.”
“Addressing the housing affordability crisis in this country requires a whole-of-government response. But right now, the federal agencies that deal with housing aren’t working together as efficiently as they should,” said Senator Gallego. “I’m glad to work across the aisle to introduce this commonsense legislation to ensure veterans and rural communities get the housing support they deserve.”
This legislation continues McCormick’s ongoing work to increase the supply of affordable housing in Pennsylvania as a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. Senator McCormick recently co-led Senator Gallego’s Housing Affordability Act, which would increase the supply of affordable housing by increasing the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) outdated multifamily loan limits.
Pennsylvania has a significant housing affordability problem. Since 2010, housing prices in Pennsylvania have increased by 77 percent. Between 2019 and 2024, rent in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh was up more than 20 percent. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have offered housing support programs for decades. Closer coordination can help agencies learn from shared housing-related data and deliver services more effectively.
The bill directs HUD, USDA, and the VA to establish a memorandum of understanding to share relevant housing-related research and market data that facilitates evidence-based policy making around housing. The three agencies are also required to submit a report to Congress on opportunities for increased collaboration to improve efficiencies in housing programs. The report will be made open for public comment from stakeholders.
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