Housing & Home Ownership

Owning your own home is a cornerstone of the American Dream and a key to building wealth across generations. Being able to afford a home where you can raise a family is top priority for many Texans, but that dream is moving further out of reach every year. Interest rates and mortgages are high and Texas is leading in the number of foreclosures. Most renters are paying well over 30% of their monthly income. That’s not a budgeting issue, that’s the result of failed policies. A combination of housing and worker shortage plus the additional financial impacts of Trump’s tariffs and bad government policy have all increased the cost of homes for builders, buyers, and renters.

SENATE PRIORITIES

Housing affordability is one of the greatest pressures on families, young people, and folks on fixed incomes across Texas. I will work with state and local leaders and partners in the housing industry to find comprehensive solutions tailored to fit the needs of each community.

Assistance for both first-time and first-generation homebuyers through federal grants and low-to-zero interest loans. These monies can be used for downpayment assistance, closing costs, and interest rate buydowns.
Annual tax credits for first-time home buyers during the first five years after purchase.
Reforms to the FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums.
Increasing the availability of Foreclosure Mitigation Counselors.
Providing assistance for certain home repairs and retrofitting, allowing your dollars to stretch even further.
Reducing the cost to obtain a mortgage through increasing primary and secondary support for loans under $100,000.
Repeal the tariffs immediately to lower the cost of lumber, steel, and other building materials
Building up the housing workforce through supporting vocational training, the skilled trades, and union apprenticeships in key fields such as electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, HVACR technicians, and more.
Eliminating tax incentives for predatory investors who buy homes in bulk to inflate prices works.
Take on the distant corporate landlords who collude to keep rent prices high through their own artificial rent-setting and price-fixing algorithms and crack down on corporate bad actors who engage in these rent-surge practices.
Eliminate red tape and speed up permitting and review processes at all levels of government so we can quickly get high-quality, affordable, homes on the market as soon as possible.
Support and secure federal funding for municipalities constructing innovative housing solutions to assist in financing, blueprints, design, construction, and more.
Empower local governments to use these funds for proven local solutions delivering the fastest results.
Provide federal support and incentives for local governments removing restrictions on accessory dwelling units.
Increase funding for HUD and USDA’s Rural Housing Service as well as HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program to remove the waitlist of people, including a significant portion of military veterans, on the verge of homelessness
Invest in affordable housing production and preservation through the HOME program in urban areas and Section 502, 533, and 515 USDA supported housing in rural areas. These policies will bring relief to rural renters, homeowners, and aspiring buyers.
Expand the LIHTC program to include the construction of single-family, owner-occupied homes. This means homebuilders will get tax breaks for building new affordable family homes, lowering the price tag for buyers.
Create a similar incentive program for homebuilders focused on starter homes specifically for first-time home buyers, once again lowering the price tag to realize your American Dream.
Ensure renters aren’t forgotten in this conversation and provide a monthly tax credit for those who rent.

My Work in the United States Congress

I’ve already started tackling the issues in Congress with real solutions that I’ve filed and co-sponsored. In the Senate, I will fight to get these priorities across the finish line:

The Combating the Housing Supply Shortage Act allows states to redirect unused Private Activity Bond capacity toward rental housing. This lowers financing costs for builders, encourages more affordable housing construction, and helps bring down housing costs, particularly in high-demand states like Texas.
I co-sponsored the Downpayment Toward Equity Act to help first-generation homebuyers with down payment assistance.
The Housing Crisis Response Act to increase funding that state and local governments can use to create and preserve hundreds of thousands of affordable homes at a cost that’s accessible to every Texan—including those on fixed incomes like seniors & those on disability.
The Community Housing Act expands affordable housing supply, supports shared equity models like community land trusts, provides renter protections, and modernizes rural housing programs to create long term affordability and reduce zoning barriers.
I filed the Heirs’ Property Relending Program Progress Act of 2024 to strengthen the existing USDA program by providing legal assistance loans for families resolving complex legal issues keeping them from owning their inherited agricultural property.
I introduced the Rural Housing Voucher Enhancement Act to improve this existing program's ability to help vulnerable residents maintain stable housing when USDA-financed properties prepay or are foreclosed, forcing landlords to be responsive, making it easier to access, and improving outreach in rural communities.