Under the direction of President Donald Trump, the federal government, which oversees millions of acres of almost undeveloped land, is using its vast resources to address the availability and affordability of homes across the country.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgham Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Scott Turner The architects behind the new federal land task force try to identify federal lands that are “suitable for residential use.” op-ed Written by a cabinet member. According to policy experts who spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation, the task force will give states more control over how land is managed based on two previously proposed parts.

“The truth behind the problem is that the federal government holds a large number of relatively valuable plots. This is not knowing that most people are close to, ignore, or necessarily own the metro area that they have by default.” “They may have chain link fences around them. They have signs and they will be closer to existing housing stock and transportation.”

After years of working with the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Department of Home Affairs, Quiche has drawn past experiences to provide insight into logistics for the task force’s goals. (Related: Exclusive: Trump’s Housing SEC wants to bring sledgehammers to a bureaucratic “red tape”)

“It’s impossible to build anything because of a lack of land, but there’s no shortage of land. What you have is a lack of ownership in the hands of individuals and a regulatory system that prevents people from building anything,” Kisch said.

Turner and Bulgham are trying to fill up Trump‘ss day-one Presidential Order The aim is to “defeat the living crisis” starting with an assessment of the most tragic places in housing needs.

Median home prices began to rise rapidly before they spiked significantly in 2020 and 2021. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data show. As of May 2024, the family has paid $13,300 According to the Heritage Foundation, they are more likely in the same home years than in January 2021. During former President Joe Biden’s term, housing prices rose approximately 114.5%. Attribution It mainly leads to “run-control expenditures” by the government. (Related: CNN guest says Kamala Harris’ housing proposal “we’ve added $25,000 to the prices of “all homes” in America)

This is what happens in areas facing serious housing shortages. Prioritized by the Trump administrationfollowed by close cooperation with state and local leaders, and “knowing my community best,” the secretary wrote in their manipulation. The federal government oversees approximately 650 million acres; According to Over 80% of government accountability offices, mainly in the western US regions, are each owned by states such as Nevada and Utah, each owned by the federal government.

“The interior identifies locations where you can support your home, carefully considering environmental impacts and land use restrictions,” writes Turner and Burgham. “Together, our agencies will support the infrastructure needed to acquire inventory of unused federal property, move or lease state or region to address housing needs, and make development viable.

The United States needs 7 million affordable homes, with 20% of the US land owned by the Home Office.

today, @Secretaryburgum And I’m announcing a partnership between them @hudgov & @interior to identify and open under federal land used for affordable housing. pic.twitter.com/p1eu04ay7b

– Scott Turner (@secretaryturner) March 17, 2025

Turner and Bulgham made it clear that their plans were “not free to build on federal land,” and Kisch reinforced the task force’s approach to taking rather than advocating for the construction of a house in a national park. Inventory of underused resources in local communities.

“There will be people who scream bloody murders and say they are selling national parks, but that’s an exaggeration,” Kisch said. “Essentially, what we’re talking about here is to look at our resource base and see if there’s no point in releasing it.”

Kisch also said that while some states may have initially been unstable to the task force, others see it as “mussing with bits,” particularly accessing Utah, where Republican Sen. Mike Lee has long advocated the ability to build homes on federal land.

“Utah has been fighting for more control over the land for a long time,” Quiche said. “The ability to have more control over federal lands and say more about what happens on federal lands within its reach will connect. [states] To another conclusion. Ultimately, I think the nation will have the advantage of gaining a say in terms of ownership, partial ownership, or how they manage their land. ”

The Task Force’s housing plan stems from helping Lee open unprotected spaces to secure the Shelter Act introduced in the Senate in 2023. This law is coexisted by Cynthia Ramis and John Barrasso by Wyoming and Dan Sullivan’s John Barrasso.

“The DOI and HUD initiatives are very similar to Senator Lee’s House law, which allows states and regions to purchase unused federal land near existing communities, rather than national parks or other protected areas. “Senator Lee looks forward to working with the Trump administration to tackle this important issue together.”

Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott also works with Turner. Housing policy Through new opportunities in the American Dream (Road) Housing Act It was introduced in the fall of 2024. The bill aims to improve the quality of life for families by reforming all sectors of the housing market, increasing the supply of affordable housing and providing economic opportunities for communities across the country.

“Homeowners are key to America’s dreams, so I continued to work on solutions to help guide more Americans on the path to homeownership,” Scott said in a statement shared with DCNF. “The Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing is important in our efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, and we look forward to working with both Secretary Turner and Secretary Bulgham to create policies that cut red tape and set a common goal of the federal housing program working for Americans.”

“It’s our wish to be able to build as many homes as possible. It’s all kinds of quality living spaces for Americans,” Turner told DCNF in January. “He is the person we need to reform our failed federal housing policy, finding innovative solutions to reduce red tape and expand access to high quality, affordable housing,” a representative from Turner said.

When contacted in comments by HUD spokesman DCNF, they said they were unable to provide details about the task force at this time. The Ministry of Home Affairs did not respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan newswire service that is free to use for legitimate news publishers that can provide large audiences. Republished articles must include logos, reporter signatures and DCNF affiliation. For questions regarding our guidelines or partnerships with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.