The US is in a housing affordability and availability crisis. The 2008 housing market collapse and the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a significant decline in both single and multi-unit home construction from which we have never fully recovered. Current estimates indicate that there are approximately 3-4 million fewer homes than the population requires. During a period with relatively high inflation, the prices of homes have increased far beyond other costs. Adjusted for inflation, median home prices have increased by 123% since 2010. Beyond climbing house and rental prices, other home costs like property insurance and utility bills have also been on the rise. The latest US Census Bureau data indicate that nearly half of US households are considered “cost-burdened,” meaning that they spend over 30% of their income on housing-related costs.  

The problems with US housing extend beyond a shortage of available units. Much of the current housing stock is aging and needs substantial renovation, but the high costs can deter owners from making necessary improvements. Restoring existing units is 25% to 45% cheaper than building new homes, suggesting that this is a cost-effective way to preserve the housing supply. 

There is growing interest in Congress to address the housing affordability crisis.   

Proposals include: 

• Increase Housing Supply—Incentivize new construction by expanding and updating tax credits for builders
• Support Rural Housing—Preserve homes in rural areas through existing federal grants and allow financial support for low-income tenants in rural multifamily housing to continue even after property owners have paid off their mortgage
• Extend Affordable Homeownership—Encourage private sector investments in affordable housing through Opportunity Zones and housing tax credits for first-time homebuyers

Fires, hurricanes, tornados, floods, blizzards and other disasters are becoming more intense and frequent. In 2024, the US experienced 27 separate billion-dollar climate and weather disasters for a total cost of $182.7 billion. Since 2016, the 5-year average cost of all disasters has more than doubled. Consequently, bipartisan interest in more effective government action to mitigate the damage and aid impacted Americans is growing.  

Current approaches to disaster mitigation and relief are extremely complicated and pose real barriers to recovery. Just at the federal level, dozens of agencies, programs, and departments must coordinate a response through 5 mission areas and 32 core capabilities. The many different relief programs for those affected, often requiring unique applications for aid, can further burden Americans working to rebuild their lives after a disaster. While investments to prepare and shield communities from the worst impacts of disasters are commonly made by states, the federal government pays for most recovery and rebuilding efforts, which allows states to avoid the costs of poor preparation. 

Proposals include:

• Encourage Mitigation—Encourage better mitigation of disaster damage by reimbursing a larger share of disaster costs in states who invest in disaster resiliency and prevention
• Reform FEMA—Standardize disaster relief applications for citizens, grant the agency greater authority to quickly deliver resources to disaster victims, and return FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to its status as an independent agency
• Improve Federal Reinsurance—Prevent further property insurance losses in disaster-prone areas by absorbing portions of the catastrophic risk that private insurance companies currently hold

*Note: We placed this issue 12th because it came up fairly late in our process, so we haven’t received enough ratings yet to have a stable average.

In recent months, the US has significantly changed the tariffs it imposes on foreign goods multiple times in quick succession. The resulting historic levels of uncertainty have reverberated immediately in the stock and bond markets. In the coming months, the uncertainty threatens to drive up inflation and slow economic growth.

The Constitution vests the taxing authority in Congress based on the principle that a power as great as the authority to tax, including taxes on imports, should be exercised by the branch of government closest to the people. Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the power “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations” and to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” In the last century, however, Congress has increasingly delegated its authority to the president.

There is growing bipartisan interest in Congress reasserting some of its constitutional authority to ensure that the American people, acting through their representatives in Congress, have a voice in US tariff policy. Proposals also aim to ensure that American tariffs are predictable and based on sound evidence and rationale.

We do not have a congressional rating of this issue because much of the growth in bipartisan interest occurred well after we began meeting with congressional offices in early January. Many of the offices have suggested this issue since we first met with them. Several of the members of the congressional bipartisan groups with whom we’re working have co-sponsored recently introduced tariff legislation and have requested that we ask whether you think this is an issue we should work on together.

Proposals include: