The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched a new initiative to strengthen America’s economic foundation by addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time: housing affordability. Access to housing is essential for families, businesses, and communities to thrive and our economy to grow.
At the inaugural housing summit, “Building for Growth: Housing Solutions for a Stronger Economy,” on Thursday, leaders across sectors, from national to local, highlighted challenges and dove into solutions to increasing housing supply across the country.
The widely attended summit was held in partnership with the National Association of Homebuilders and sponsored by JPMorganChase, with support from Home Depot, UMH Properties Inc, and Lowe’s.
"At the end of the day, the Chamber’s mission is to create the conditions for the American Dream," said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber. Access to housing is central to that vision, and in response, the U.S. Chamber has launched its first ever housing initiative.
There is reason for optimism. "You're going to see Republicans and Democrats sitting down with each other and talking about how to move this issue forward," Bradley said.
The Big Picture
The housing shortage stems from a fundamental issue: the construction of new homes has failed to keep pace with demand, particularly in high-growth areas.
“A strong community is really dependent on a strong economy and also a strong workforce. And in order to have those things you need an affordable home so that employees can easily get to their job,” Eileen Braden, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Government Relations for JPMorganChase, said during the opening panel moderated by Makinizi Hoover, Strategic Advocacy and Housing Policy, at the Chamber. “Addressing affordable housing is in fact, a bipartisan issue… Whether or not it's a blue state, a red state, a rural area, an urban area, people recognize affordable housing is preventing people from getting ahead. It is preventing economies from thriving.”
“Housing is part of your business plan, because if your workers do not have a place to live within a reasonable commute, they're not going to be working for you, and you're going to have a labor shortage,” said Ken Wingert, Chief Advocacy Officer, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer, delivers opening remarks at the inaugural housing summit.
Eileen Braden, Head of U.S. Government Relations at JPMorganChase, Ken Wingert, Chief Advocacy Officer, National Association of Home Builders, and Heather Kennedy, Vice President of Government Relations and External Communications at Home Depot discuss policy issues with Makinizi Hoover, Strategic Advocacy and Housing Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Senators Pete Ricketts (R–NE) and Tina Smith (D–MN) discuss the path ahead for implementing federal solutions that support local growth and economic opportunity with Rodney Davis, head of government affairs at the Chamber.
Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR) and Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) discuss work to advance housing solutions that strengthen communities and drive economic growth across the nation.
John Crosby, President and Chief Executive Officer, Window and Door Manufacturers Association; Marty Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell & Best Homes; Joe Harris, Vice President of Government Advocacy, National Association of Realtors; Betsy Conway, Director, Lowe’s Foundation; and Bill Owens, First Vice Chairman, National Association of Home Builders discuss housing issues.
Barriers to Growth
Extensive regulatory barriers—including zoning and permitting—for new housing bogs down the process, causing home prices to rise and delays in building new homes. An aging skilled workforce and tariffs also contribute to delays.
“We have a full generation of tradesmen and women who are retirement age… and we do not have the pipeline of skilled youth coming behind them to follow,” said Heather Kennedy, Vice President, Government Relations and External Communications at Home Depot.
“In order to renovate homes, to build homes, you must have the skilled professionals who can do that work,” said Betsy Conway, Director, Lowe’s Foundation. “We all have a role to play in changing the narrative that has existed within the skilled trades, by encouraging youth or career-transitioning adults, raising awareness, and adding exposure at an earlier time in the K-12 space.”
Extensive permitting for new housing also bogs down the process, causing years-long delays.
“It’s not just a building permit for a house that we have to get. I have to get an entrance permit from the state…You have to get a county road permit, an erosion control permit, a tree permit. The list goes on and on…This is now running into a three to four year process in our area,” said Marty Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell & Best Homes.
“We estimate the median single-family home that's constructed, 23% of that cost is tied up in some sort of regulation, impact, fee, building code–something that is put on the developer, put on the builder," Wingert said.
No One-Size-Fits-All Approach
The U.S. Chamber recently introduced a new resource in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) aimed at addressing housing challenges. The “Strong Foundations” playbook offers data-informed solutions for all 50 states including 500 metropolitan areas, 1,000 counties and 4,500 cities. The playbooks focus on housing supply shortages, affordability, and migration patterns and are designed to help leaders connect data to action to address the housing shortage.
This session featured Tobias Peter, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute and Co-Director, AEI Housing Center, Arthur Gailes, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Duke McLarty, Executive Director, Groundwork Workforce Housing for NWA, who all dove into the data-driven solutions to the housing shortage gleaned from the research.
“We found that healthy supply solutions are possible, and what works in San Francisco is obviously very different than what works in St. Paul, Minnesota,” said Tobias Peter, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute and Co-Director, AEI Housing Center.
Key strategies from the datasets include allowing lot size flexibility in new residential subdivisions, increasing lot flexibility in existing units, identifying suitable land for development, and promoting best practices for zoning and building regulations.
Panelists emphasized the critical role of the business community in advocating for housing solutions.
“The most important thing the business community can do here is just show up to city council meetings, talk to the local newspapers to be interviewed and be present because there’s a double coincidence here. The needs of employees and the needs employers, in this case, are lining up in the same direction,” said Arthur Gailes, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute.
Bipartisan Solutions
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) said that constituents tell her that increasing the supply of housing is critical: “If you don't have a good place to live, a safe place, nothing in your life is going to work. Nothing in your business is going to work.”
The bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, passed by the Senate, breaks down regulatory barriers to expand the housing supply. “[The bill] makes housing easier to build, creates affordable housing, and streamlines the process,” said Senator Ricketts.
When businesses look to expand, they're increasingly hitting the same roadblock: housing. As Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) explained, "One of the biggest barriers to companies wanting to expand into my state is the lack of access to housing." This workforce challenge is bringing a critical but often absent voice to the housing conversation—business leaders who understand that economic development depends on access to housing.
The solution lies largely at the local level. Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR) emphasized the need for "cost-engineering and regulatory rightsizing," pointing to real-world urgency: "When we were doing the Oregon CHIPS Act, the number one question I was getting was 'where are all of these people going to live?'"
Federal policy can catalyze local action, but municipalities must lead on zoning reform. As Flood noted, "We need partnership with local municipalities and states." Bynum urged citizens to hold leaders accountable: "Your local, county, state representative owes you 15 minutes of time where you live and where you work and we need your stories."
The message is clear: "We can't think like we are going to solve this problem in 20 years," Bynum warned. "That is today."
Success at the Local Level
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte shared how his state is facing a severe housing shortage despite its low population density. Between 2010 and 2020, the state's population grew 10%, becoming the third-fastest-growing state, but housing unit growth did not keep pace.
Gianforte explained that in response, a 26-member Housing Task Force was formed in July 2022. Task Force members included directors of the four state agencies that touch housing, legislators, both Republican and Democrat, local officials from counties and cities, and business and academic stakeholders on both sides of the aisle.
Reforms included modernizing land use regulations, creating a special state revenue account for water and sewer infrastructure, allowing accessory dwelling units, and easing zoning restrictions.
“We modernized a century old system to make Land Use and Planning more predictable, cutting red tape and streamlining permitting,” he said.
Take a Closer Look
Rhode Island also pushed through changes.
“Everybody wants affordable housing, but nobody wants it near them,” said State Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi, House Speaker of the State of Rhode Island General Assembly.
“The problem was solved very simply by three very important things: Production, production, and more production,” Shekarchi said. “It’s the only way I’ve found to really make a dent in housing prices is to increase the supply.”
The state now allows online permitting for new homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), he added.
Brita Wallace, General Counsel of Texans for Reasonable Solutions, said that gathering a diverse coalition was a big help to housing reform in that state.
“Texas is at the forefront of housing reform largely due to the diverse, bipartisan coalition that has been built in Texas,” Wallace said, adding that organizations from the left, the right, from religious groups and think tanks all helped moved housing reform along there.
Meanwhile, Houston, Texas faces its own unique challenges in providing enough affordable housing. While known for having no zoning laws, the city faces challenges from natural disasters—especially hurricanes and storms—which periodically wipe out significant amounts of local housing stock. One solution: Build more resiliently.
“We’re looking at existing housing inventory, but how we can design and build for the future to make sure it’s resilient and protects people’s financial investment,” said Tiffany D. Thomas, Council Member, Houston City Council.
Next Steps
Housing is an economic engine, accounting for 20% of GDP. It’s also becoming further out of reach, with the median age for first-time home buyers hitting 40 years old, up from 29 in 1981, with prices, interest rates and supply all factors.
"It's our responsibility to advocate for solutions but also to advocate for what's at stake,” the Chamber’s Bradley said, “and that is nothing short of the American Dream."
