Rep. French Hill: Senate housing bill has narrow but 'substantive' differences

Summary

• Rep. French Hill outlines the House's supply-side approach to housing, focusing on deregulation, increasing financing through community banks, and holding HUD accountable without new major spending programs.
• The House housing bill passed with strong bipartisan support (390-9), while the Senate bill also passed (89-10) but with substantive differences that House Republicans oppose.
• Key issues with the Senate bill include new spending programs previously voted down in the House, and problematic drafting in the provision to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes.
• The institutional investor ban requires homes built for rent to be sold within seven years, which Hill calls arbitrary and opposed by mortgage bankers and homebuilders, potentially harming housing supply.
• The Senate bill includes a sunset provision on the ban for central bank digital currencies (after 2030), which House members find concerning.
• Hill believes reconciliation is possible through an informal conference, with Senate Chairman Tim Scott acknowledging the need to address House concerns and House caucus groups supporting amendments.
• President Trump's recent executive orders align with House provisions on deregulation and community banking relief, and Hill aims to correct Senate language to maintain Trump's goals without creating supply problems.
• On Iran, Hill supports U.S. and Israel actions to neutralize Iran's nuclear ambitions and terror threats, contrasting with resignations over the war scale.