This week, as California considers another housing agency, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) introduced new legislation to hold Sacramento bureaucracy accountable and stop housing costs from continuing to skyrocket. The Bring Down Housing Costs Act would establish a federal task force to investigate and conduct oversight of states failing to curb rising housing costs and develop emergency action plans to make housing more affordable.

Key features proposed in the Bring Down Housing Costs Act are:

New Oversight – Creates a new federal housing task force to investigate states with the highest rising housing costs.

New Partnerships – Brings together representatives from across the federal government and housing experts for the first time to bring down housing costs in the worst markets.

Emergency Plans – Issues emergency action plans and best-practice guidelines for states facing year-over-year median home price increases.

Despite reforms, California continues to lead the nation in housing prices and, said Harder, Sacramento’s housing bureaucracy is still an expensive mess. Among the major issues, the Congressman said, include:

Years of prioritizing process over outcomes has created a bureaucratic monster covering everything from horse racing and alcohol, while also in charge of housing reform.

The state’s new housing agency, set to start in 2026, is already falling short of prioritizing the most basic housing reforms.

Bureaucratic bloat has caused California to have the highest housing prices in the nation, making homebuying in the Valley entirely unaffordable.

“Our families are getting priced out of an affordable life in the Valley. We need real action, not another round of musical chairs by Sacramento bureaucrats,” said Rep. Harder. “My bill holds Sacramento’s feet to the fire and makes housing our number one priority by bringing new federal oversight to yearslong chaos. If these out-of-touch bureaucrats continue to fail, they should be held accountable and fired.”