By Ari Natter | Bloomberg
The Trump administration unveiled plans to build housing on federal land, a move it said could help address a shortfall of 7 million affordable homes in the US.
The Interior Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development will partner to assess the nation’s housing needs and identify “underutilized” land suitable for development, the heads of the two agencies announced in a video.
Also see: How a Trump administration could affect California’s housing crisis
“Working together, our agencies can take inventory of underused federal properties, transfer or lease them to states or localities to address housing needs, and support the infrastructure required to make development viable — all while ensuring affordability remains at the core of the mission,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and HUD Secretary Scott Turner wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial.
Burgum, whose agency oversees energy development, grazing and other activities on some 500 million acres of public land, pledged during his confirmation hearing to work with states to explore ways public lands can be used to help address housing shortages.
The idea of using public land for housing has bipartisan backing.
Former President Joe Biden in 2024 announced the sale 20 acres of public land at $100 per acre, below market value, to build 210 affordable homes in southern Nevada.
Affordable housing is generally defined as that in which the occupant pays no more than 30% of gross income for the cost of shelter, including utilities.