{"id":2325092,"date":"2024-08-15T13:22:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-thwarts-bipartisan-housing-efforts\/"},"modified":"2024-08-15T13:27:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:27:13","slug":"biden-thwarts-bipartisan-housing-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-thwarts-bipartisan-housing-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Thwarts Bipartisan Housing Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-thwarts-bipartisan-housing-efforts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2325092&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Lawmakers are increasingly\u200b looking to federal land as a potential long-term solution to the ongoing housing shortage in the United States. \u2064A recent\u2063 report \u200dby Politico \u2064highlights \u2064a growing bipartisan\u200d support aimed at using public lands\u200c for new \u2064housing\u200b developments. The federal government, which owns approximately 28% of land in the U.S., \u2062could auction off parcels to developers who\u2062 agree to maintain a portion of the housing as affordable for local residents. <\/p>\n<p>Utah\u200b Republican Rep.\u2064 John Curtis has introduced legislation allowing the sale of \u2064federal land to state and local governments to facilitate the construction of new\u200c homes, a sentiment echoed by \u200cSen. Mike Lee. With federal land ownership being particularly high in western states\u2014such \u2064as Utah, California, Oregon, and Nevada\u2014this approach aims \u200dto alleviate the current housing\u200c deficit, which Zillow \u2063reports has increased from \u20634.3 \u2063million to 4.5 \u200cmillion homes\u200b within \u2064a year.<\/p>\n<p>While\u2062 the Biden administration supports using vacant federal lands within existing \u2062development zones, their approach is more restrictive\u2063 compared to Republicans, focusing on affordable housing \u200bin\u2064 urban areas. Environmental groups worry that Republican proposals threaten public land, while the Biden administration has \u2062initiated measures to protect and designate new national monuments. <\/p>\n<p>The contrasting approaches \u200creflect broader ideological divides regarding public land use, as Republicans promote \u200bresponsible development and Democrats\u2063 advocate\u2063 for\u200d conservation, seeking to protect\u2062 30 percent of the nation\u2019s lands \u2062and waterways by\u2062 2030.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Lawmakers have set their sights on a long-time solution to a nationwide housing shortage: federal land. <\/p>\n<p>Politico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/09\/white-house-gop-housing-federal-land-00170616\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> earlier this month on the emergence of bipartisan support to target public lands for new housing developments. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s simple in theory,&rdquo; the magazine reported. &ldquo;The federal government &mdash; which owns roughly 28 percent of the land in the U.S. &mdash; would open up bidding for parcels to developers who commit to keeping a certain percentage of the units at an affordable level for the local population.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Imagine having a county where over 90 percent of the land can&rsquo;t have housing despite many acres being appropriate for development, all because it&rsquo;s federally managed,&rdquo; Republican Rep. John Curtis of Utah told Politico. &ldquo;The idea is a practical solution, and including it in the Republican platform is welcome news for Utahns struggling with housing affordability.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Curtis, who <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/United_States_Senate_election_in_Utah,_2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won<\/a> the Utah Republican Senate primary earlier this summer, introduced legislation to allow the sale of federal acres to state and local governments to build new homes. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah proposed a similar bill in the upper chamber.<\/p>\n<p>The federal government owns just under a third of all land in the United States, with <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Federal_land_ownership_by_state\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">92 percent <\/a>across 12 western states. Roughly 63 percent of Utah&rsquo;s land is federally managed, while other states similarly struggling with high housing costs, such as California, Oregon, and Nevada, also govern just a fraction of the property within their own borders. <\/p>\n<p>The federal government owns 45 percent of California, 52 percent of Oregon, and 80 percent of Nevada.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/zillow.mediaroom.com\/2024-06-18-The-U-S-is-now-short-4-5-million-homes-as-the-housing-deficit-grows#:~:text=Zillow&amp;text=From%202021%20to%202022%2C%20the,million%20housing%20units%20were%20built.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According<\/a> to Zillow, in June, the U.S. housing shortage grew from 4.3 million in 2021 to 4.5 million in 2022. Mortgages and rent, meanwhile, remain primary drivers of inflation, with shelter costs at more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2024\/08\/14\/housing-costs-main-inflation-driver\/74803859007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5 percent<\/a> higher than a year ago. Federal land has historically held the solution to American housing needs, with lawmakers now leveraging the government&rsquo;s vast acreage to build new homes just as 19th-century predecessors encouraged western settlement with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/home\/learn\/historyculture\/abouthomesteadactlaw.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Homestead Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the strategy to target public lands for additional housing has garnered support from Democrats in the White House, Politico reported the Biden administration &ldquo;is taking a different &mdash; and more circumscribed &mdash; approach&rdquo; from Republicans. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The administration effort is focused on &lsquo;vacant and surplus federal lands that are within existing development zones and in metros that face shortages of affordable housing,&rsquo; said a White House aide who was granted anonymity to discuss differences with the Lee bill,&rdquo; Politico reported. &ldquo;&lsquo;Given those careful considerations, the overwhelming majority of federal lands are unsuitable for housing development and not part of our focus,&rsquo; the aide said.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Far-left environmental groups have endorsed White House plans to restrict land sales for affordable housing to urban areas while fearmongering about Republican proposals as an effort to eliminate public property.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What we&rsquo;re seeing from Republicans is ideological &mdash; any excuse is a good excuse to get rid of public lands,&rdquo; Brett Hartl, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blm-group-defends-lindsey-graham-calls-for-resignation-of-democratic-party-official\/\" title=\"BLM Group Defends Lindsey Graham, Calls For Resignation Of Democratic Party Official\">chief political strategist<\/a> for the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, told Politico. &ldquo;This is part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/debates-on-overturning-roe-v-wade-continue-gop-confident\/\" title=\"Debates on overturning Roe v. Wade continue, GOP confident\">decades-long effort<\/a> by a subset of Republicans that have a deep, deep antipathy to public lands.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden, however, has exploited the Oval Office to shut down the potential development of millions of federal acres, including the establishment of &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/19\/new-blm-rules-on-conservation-leases-will-fundamentally-transform-public-land-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conservation leases<\/a>&rdquo; and the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/12\/biden-plans-giant-expansion-of-two-national-monuments-in-130000-acre-land-grab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">creation <\/a>of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utah-sues-biden-administration-over-aggressive-land-grab-at-two-national-monuments\/\" title=\"Utah Sues Biden Administration Over Aggressive Land Grab At Two National Monuments\">quasi-national parks<\/a> through abuse of the 1906 Antiquities Act. While a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/blog\/americas-public-lands-explained\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national park<\/a>&nbsp;is a large swath of land protected by an act of Congress, land with a &ldquo;national monument&rdquo; designation protects a &ldquo;specific natural, cultural or historic feature&rdquo; and is established by executive order under the Antiquities Act.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to Republicans who have sought to promote responsible use while preserving treasured resources, Democrats within the Biden administration have explicitly campaigned to lock off 30 percent of the nation&rsquo;s lands and waterways by 2030 in an initiative known as &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2021\/5\/7\/22423139\/biden-30-by-30-conservation-initiative-historic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30 for 30<\/a>.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The aggressive campaign features new <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/09\/07\/biden-cancels-all-remaining-leases-congress-issued-in-arctic-refuge-further-gutting-american-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prohibitions <\/a>on oil and gas development in far-away places such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the north slope of Alaska, but the campaign has also extended to the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/02\/biden-interior-department-cuts-off-navajo-nation-from-oil-and-gas-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suspension <\/a>of energy development on lands across the Lower 48 and the creation of new national monuments covering hundreds and thousands of acres. The designation of lands under monument protections has routinely extended way beyond &ldquo;the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected&rdquo; mandated by law and is now the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/24\/western-republicans-ramp-up-urgency-to-reform-antiquities-act-and-block-invasive-federal-land-grabs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">target<\/a> of reform by House Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Western Caucus Vice Chair Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, told The Federalist last month she&rsquo;s concerned the lame duck president will confer more land under monument status considering such protections &ldquo;do tend to happen at the end of Democrat administrations.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Land leased by third-party activists in the name of &ldquo;conservation&rdquo; from the Bureau of Land Management, meanwhile, threatens active ranches leveraging the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.blm.gov\/or\/districts\/burns\/newsroom\/files\/multipleuse.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">multiple use mandate<\/a>&rdquo; Congress outlined for the agency in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA).<\/p>\n<p>The more land cut off from development under the White House &ldquo;30 for 30&rdquo; campaign, the less there will be for helping housing and cash-strapped Americans.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawmakers are focusing on a longstanding solution to the country&#8217;s housing crisis: federal land. According to Politico, there is growing bipartisan support for utilizing public lands for new housing projects. The concept is straightforward: the federal government, which controls about 28 percent of U.S. land, would invite developers to bid on parcels with the condition that a portion of the units remain affordable for local residents.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Rep. John Curtis from Utah highlighted the issue by pointing out that in some counties, over 90 percent of land cannot be developed for housing due to federal management, despite many areas being suitable for construction. He views this initiative as a practical approach and believes its inclusion in the Republican platform is beneficial for Utahns facing housing affordability challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Curtis has introduced legislation allowing state and local governments to purchase federal land for new home construction, while Sen. Mike Lee from Utah has proposed a similar measure in the Senate. The federal government owns nearly one-third of all U.S. land, with 92 percent located across twelve western states; approximately 63 percent of Utah&#8217;s territory is federally managed.<\/p>\n<p>States like California (45% federally owned), Oregon (52%), and Nevada (80%) also face significant challenges regarding high housing costs due to limited control over their own lands.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. housing shortage increased from 4.3 million in 2021 to 4.5 million in June 2022 according to Zillow data, with rising mortgage and rent prices contributing significantly to inflation\u2014shelter costs have risen more than five percent compared to last year.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, federal land has been seen as a potential solution for American housing needs; lawmakers are now looking at these vast tracts similarly to how past leaders encouraged westward expansion through initiatives like the Homestead Act.<\/p>\n<p>While this strategy has gained traction among Democrats at the White House level, Politico notes that President Biden&#8217;s administration is adopting a more cautious approach compared to Republicans by focusing on &#8220;vacant and surplus federal lands within existing development zones&#8221; rather than broader swathes of public property deemed unsuitable for development.<\/p>\n<p>Environmental groups on the far left support Biden\u2019s plans which limit affordable housing developments primarily within urban areas while criticizing Republican proposals as attempts at privatizing public lands.<\/p>\n<p>Brett Hartl from the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund accused Republicans of using ideological justifications as pretexts for diminishing public lands&#8217; protections.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, President Biden has utilized his executive powers under laws such as the Antiquities Act not only to halt potential developments across millions of acres but also establish conservation leases and quasi-national parks\u2014actions viewed by some as an overreach beyond what was intended by law regarding monument designations meant solely &#8220;for proper care&#8221; purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have actively campaigned under an initiative called \u201c30 by 30,\u201d aiming to protect thirty percent of national lands and waterways by 2030\u2014a move that includes imposing restrictions on oil and gas exploration even in remote regions like Alaska\u2019s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while extending prohibitions across other states too through new national monuments covering extensive areas beyond legal limits set forth previously.<\/p>\n<p>Concerns arise among Republicans about further restrictions being placed during what they term &#8220;lame duck&#8221; periods typical towards administrations&#8217; ends when such protections often increase without adequate consideration given their implications on available resources needed especially amidst ongoing struggles faced daily by Americans seeking affordable living options.<\/p>\n<p>Tristan Justice serves as The Federalist&#8217;s western correspondent; he holds degrees from George Washington University where he studied political science alongside journalism pursuits\u2014his writings appear frequently across various conservative platforms including Real Clear Politics &amp; Fox News among others along with social media presence @JusticeTristan or via email contact Tristan@thefederalist.com if interested!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2325093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/4691479654_98c42299e2_k-e1723737481532.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3620,3667,32671,4762,32603],"class_list":["post-2325092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden","tag-bipartisan","tag-housing-policy","tag-legislation","tag-political-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/4691479654_98c42299e2_k-e1723737481532.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2325092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2325093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2325092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2325092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2325092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}