Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) Build Now Act, a bill to incentivize new home construction and open the door to homeownership for young Americans, advanced toward Congressional passage with Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Jim Himes’ (D-Conn.) introduction of a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Kennedy in introducing his original Senate bill.
“If we want to put homeownership within reach for young families, it’s incumbent on the Senate and House of Representatives to work together and take on the red tape that’s brought homebuilding to a grinding halt. I’m thrilled that the Senate has done its part and passed my bipartisan Build Now Act, and I thank Reps. McClain and Himes for working to achieve the same result in the House,” said Kennedy.
“Homeownership, once a hallmark of the American Dream, has fallen significantly in recent decades. I appreciate Senator Kennedy joining me in leading this legislation that provides Americans with more choices, greater affordability, and a real path to homeownership. This is a win-win solution built on common sense, not bureaucracy, ensuring that our local communities can quickly build the stable housing their neighbors deserve,” said McClain.
“Lowering rents and mortgages for the millions of Americans being crushed under high housing costs starts with building more homes. This bipartisan proposal will encourage communities to cut red tape and reward those that construct more housing so that, across this country, we can get back to leveraging our economic might to meet the needs of the American people,” said Himes.
“Americans are suffering under sky-high housing prices caused by a worsening housing shortage. The Federal government should use the tools at our disposal to reward communities that are taking bold action to build more housing and reduce families’ biggest monthly expense. It’s time for Congress to act—and this bipartisan proposal is a call to action to communities across the country to build housing now,” said Warren.
The Build Now Act’s House of Representatives introduction comes in the wake of a November report showing that the average age of a first-time homebuyer had reached a record 40 years old. Previous reporting also revealed that, on an annual basis, new home construction had fallen nearly 5%.
In response, Kennedy’s Build Now Act would tie Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) funding to cities’ rates of homebuilding.
The Build Now Act would:
- Require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to remove 10% of CDBG funding from cities that fail to improve their rate of homebuilding above the national median rate.
- Direct HUD to proportionally reallocate those CDBG funds to cities that exceeded the national median rate of homebuilding. Under the Build Now Act, cities with the highest rates of growth would receive larger shares as funds are reallocated.
- Allow metropolitan areas three years to start building homes before HUD determines their level of CDBG funding.
The Senate Banking Committee voted unanimously to advance the Build Now Act in July 2025. In October 2025, the full U.S. Senate passed the Build Now Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
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