The Interior Department will work with the Department of Housing and Urban Department on determining which federal land can be tapped for affordable housing, the agencies’ two leaders said over the weekend.
In an op-ed that ran Sunday in the Wall Street Journal, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the nation’s vast public lands should be part of solving the nation’s housing crisis.
“America needs more affordable housing, and the federal government can make it happen by making federal land available to build affordable housing stock,” they wrote.
The secretaries said they would convene a Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing, with HUD pinpointing where there are the greatest housing needs and guiding state and local leaders. Interior’s role will be to identify public lands to “support homes while carefully considering environmental impact and land-use restrictions.”
