California leads nation in housing prices; Harder’s Bring Down Housing Costs Act would expand federal oversight of new state housing agency if housing costs continue to skyrocket
WASHINGTON – Today, Monday, November 17, 2025, as California considers yet another housing agency, Rep. Josh Harder (D, 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.
Despite reforms, Sacramento’s housing bureaucracy is still an expensive mess:
- 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 #1 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.”…