Ogles and eight other House Republicans signed the correspondence, addressed to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development acting Secretary Adrianne Todman and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack.
In the letter, they expressed concerns that the new rules will force all new single-family and multi-family housing units to comply with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. They said this mandate “is poised to worsen the housing affordability crisis and have adverse effects on the nation’s most vulnerable home seekers and renters.”The lawmakers cited the additional cost to home buyers and the deterrent to new home construction as reasons against the guidelines. Reps.
“This is yet another example of the Biden Administration’s efforts to keep Americans down. Folks are already struggling to buy homes as interest rates remain high. To add an average of $31,000 on top of the inflated housing prices is unimaginable,” Ogles said. “This mandate will harm the ability of individuals and families to buy homes and provide little to no benefit to those forced to rent instead of purchase.