NEWS: Build America Caucus Announces New National Agenda to Restore America’s Ability to Build

Over 60 proposals spanning seven policy areas in the largest bipartisan governing agenda in years

Only platform tackling shortage as the root cause of dysfunction in American life

WASHINGTON – Today, Build America Caucus Chairs Josh Harder (CA-09) and Celeste Maloy (UT-02) announced the Build More Agenda - the largest bipartisan agenda in years, and the only platform that identifies and comprehensively responds to the dysfunction that has kept us from building the things that are integral to American life. Spanning seven policy areas and over 60 proposals, this agenda is the Build America Caucus’ roadmap for durable, growth-focused governance in Washington.

The Build America Caucus was founded in May 2025 to establish a permanent foothold in the halls of Congress for growth-oriented policymaking that was flourishing in cities and states across the country but frustratingly absent in the federal government. Over the past year, the Caucus helped negotiate and pass the largest pro-housing law in half a century and led efforts to build momentum for tech-neutral, permitting certainty reforms. But America’s inability to build isn’t isolated to a few industries - this dysfunction is systemic.

“Not enough homes or energy, shortages of doctors and daycares, cures that take too long to reach patients and infrastructure projects that drag on for decades. That’s what life in America looks like today because we’ve lost the ability to build the things we need,” said Chairs Harder and Maloy. “We used to believe that America was the only place in the world where the boldest dreams could be realized, and we need a new politics of action to restore that national ambition and trust in government. The Build America Caucus was founded a little over a year ago with that goal in mind, and the Build More Agenda is our bipartisan roadmap to make growth and prosperity the cornerstone of American life once again.”

The solution to systematic dysfunction is to build our way to prosperity:

1. A home you can afford – America is short five million homes, and as a consequence, one-third of young adults are still living with their parents. The Build More Agenda closes that gap by expanding where housing can be built, reducing costs and delays, unlocking more financing for new projects, and fully implementing the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
2. Care when you need it – We spend more on healthcare than any other nation, but that care is unaffordable, inaccessible, and archaic. We’re going to change that by changing how our physician training dollars are allocated and making sure their time is spent on care, not paperwork, while cutting out the waste that gets spent on anything but patient outcomes and keeps medicines expensive.
3. Cheaper power – Electricity rates have jumped 33% over the last five years, and if nothing changes, our energy infrastructure is going to continue to crumble while demand surges. To fix this, we’re going to ensure it doesn’t take longer to permit an energy project than to actually build it, get better use out of our existing infrastructure, and make smarter bets with our tax dollars on the technologies that will power the future.
4. Faster cures and breakthroughs – America is losing its scientific edge because our scientists spend nearly half their time on paperwork and our research dollars aren’t geared towards modern discovery. The Build More Agenda is going to restore American scientific dominance by saving researchers a million hours a year spent on paperwork, investing in high-risk, high-reward breakthrough science, and leveraging AI to speed up cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, and so much more.
5. Infrastructure that actually gets built – Every unfinished construction site at home and every ambitious project completed abroad while America lags is an outrageous failure. Dedicated fast tracks for new projects, incentives for actual coordination, and smarter spending decisions are how we’re going to finally catch up to the rest of the world.
6. More opportunity at every age – Unaffordable childcare. The worst reading scores in decades. Worthless workforce development. Building the future we want starts with investing in the people who are going to build it, and that means letting parents keep their jobs because they can actually find childcare, restoring evidence-based education, and creating a workforce training pipeline that leads to lifelong career success and more of the jobs we need to get back to building.
7. A government that works – All of this depends on a government that actually functions and uses your tax dollars effectively. For the Build More Agenda, that means building a modern federal workforce based on skills, not bureaucratic process, cutting red tape, and bringing government technology out of the stone age.

Read the full agenda here. Read a section-by-section here. 

“America knows how to build, we just have to get out of our own way and start doing it,” said Rep. Janelle Bynum. “More homes, better roads and bridges, new technology, and good jobs – this agenda is about turning big ideas into things people can actually see and feel in their communities. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and help get it done.”

“Americans are tired of Washington making it harder and more expensive to build, innovate, and grow,” said Rep. Buddy Carter. “The Build More Agenda brings Republicans and Democrats together around commonsense solutions to cut red tape, lower costs, strengthen American energy, improve access to healthcare, and get critical projects built. I’m proud to work with the Build America Caucus to turn good ideas into real results for the American people.”

“Kansans don’t want D.C. talking points — they want lower utility bills, homes they can actually afford, and roads that aren't falling apart,” said Rep. Sharice Davids. “The problem isn't a lack of good ideas; it's the bureaucratic red tape slowing projects down for years. I’m joining the bipartisan Build America Caucus to cut through the government gridlock and start building these projects now, not a decade from now.”

“The Build More Agenda reflects what we can accomplish when we work across the aisle to tackle challenges facing American families and businesses,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in the bipartisan Build America Caucus to advance practical solutions that cut unnecessary red tape, lower costs and help America build faster and smarter. By modernizing infrastructure and creating opportunities for American workers and manufacturers, we can strengthen our economy, make taxpayer dollars go further and deliver lasting results for our communities.”

“America used to pride itself on accomplishing big things - winning world wars, sending man to the moon, or discovering the next medical breakthrough,” said Rep. Scott Peters. “Today, our challenges have not gone away but our capacity to achieve great things has. Our constituents are counting on us to put politics aside and invest in our country’s future to make their lives better. The bipartisan Build More Agenda includes ways to do exactly that: lower costs, create good-paying jobs, strengthen communities, and restore America as a global leader in progress and innovation.”

“Folks in Western and Southern Colorado know how to build things, create jobs, and get things done,” said Rep. Jeff Hurd. “Too often, Washington just gets in the way. The Build More Agenda is about cutting unnecessary red tape so we can produce more American energy, build the housing and infrastructure our communities need, and bring down costs for working families. Republicans and Democrats aren’t going to agree on everything, but we ought to be able to agree that it shouldn’t take years of paperwork and bureaucracy to build something in this country.”

“A housing shortage is a tax on working people, and they pay it every month in rent,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres. “For decades, we have piled on rules and caps that make it slower and costlier to build homes, and few places have paid a higher price than the Bronx. The surest way to bring down the cost of housing is to bring up the supply of housing. The Build More Agenda is built on that principle, because a pro-growth agenda is a pro–working class agenda. Progress should be measured not by how many projects we regulate but by how many we deliver.”

“I spent my career building things in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I came to Congress to keep building," said Rep. Rob Bresnahan. "I'm proud to be part of bipartisan efforts to strengthen our nation's highways, bridges, levees, rail lines, and airports. But a project that takes years and years just to clear the paperwork doesn't help anyone. The Build More Agenda will get shovels in the ground faster, and I'm ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get it done.”

“Congress passed a housing abundance bill this term,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss. “It's seriously debating a bipartisan energy abundance bill. Build America has momentum in its mission to lower prices by building more, faster & better – next up are unlocks to lower prices in medicine, transportation and childcare.”

“As a senior member of the Housing, Transportation, and Urban Development Subcommittee, I’m proud to be a member of the bipartisan Build America Caucus. My constituents tell me every day they want to see their representatives in Washington take actions that will make their lives better – lower the cost of housing, healthcare, and energy,” said Rep. Mike Quigley. “At a time of deep political division, we have the unique opportunity to come together as Democrats and Republicans to lower costs and solve the housing crisis.”

The American Dream is built on the simple promise that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can create a better life for yourself and your family,” said Rep. Young Kim. “The bipartisan Build More Agenda is about sustaining that promise. I’m proud to work with the Build America Caucus to lower costs, build more homes, strengthen American energy, and prepare our workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. By cutting through barriers and turning commonsense ideas into results, we can make sure the American Dream remains within reach for generations to come.

“Whether it’s rebuilding a bridge over I-95 in record time or passing landmark housing legislation, we know that government can still get things done, if rarely,” said Rep. Jim Himes. “I’m in the Build America Caucus because this group of lawmakers fundamentally believes government needs to get things done—not as the exception, but as the rule. Our agenda reflects that belief, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to turn our group’s governing principle into law.”

“American workers and manufacturers are the best in the world. When Congress makes decisions about the future of our country, those workers need leaders at the table who will fight for them and keep our country moving,” said Rep. Haley Stevens. “At a time when it feels like Congress gets nothing done, I’m excited to join my colleagues from both parties to launch the Build America Caucus and tackle some of our nation’s biggest challenges, grow our economy, and invest in the people who make America the greatest country in the world.”

What they’re saying about the Build More Agenda:

“For too long, we’ve treated a four-year college degree as the default path to a good career. The Build America Caucus’s push to get more apprenticeships and higher-quality workforce training programs off the ground is a critical step forward. If we want to build more in America, we need to make it easier for more Americans to learn how to do the building,” said Zach Boren, Senior Vice President at Apprenticeships for America.

“Getting lawmakers from both parties to agree on what's holding the country back is no easy feat, and we applaud the Build America Caucus for assembling a genuinely bipartisan coalition around these questions. BPC Action has long argued that the problems on this list—the cost of building housing, the time it takes to approve energy projects, and a broken childcare system—are solvable ones. We look forward to working with the caucus and its members as they move from agenda to legislation,” said Michele Stockwell, President of BPC Action.

“Through their work with the Build America Caucus, Reps. Harder and Maloy have asked how we can build more of what Americans actually need and answered it across housing, childcare, energy, and more. We applaud this effort and its goal to build 5 million homes, add millions more new childcare slots, modernize the energy grid, and get infrastructure built faster. This comprehensive plan demonstrates that pragmatic, actionable solutions can still be ambitious. This Agenda, written by a Democrat from California and a Republican from Utah, also shows the strength of abundance solutions in building coalitions. I urge Congress to take action on these solutions,” said Derek Kaufman, President of Inclusive Abundance Action.

“The Build More Agenda is an innovative, bipartisan framework for creating a more abundant future in America. The priorities laid out in this agenda have the potential to make a massive difference in areas from science and innovation to housing, transportation, and energy. For example, we were thrilled to see X-Labs and metascience units highlighted as vehicles to accelerate scientific discovery and increase the return on investment for R&D. Similarly, the Agenda’s focus on reducing land use regulations, building transit at lower cost, and achieving energy abundance is crucial for letting America build again and innovate in the world of atoms,” said Alec Stapp, CEO of the Institute for Progress.

“For the past year, the Build America Caucus has worked across the aisle to notch key policy wins, making it easier, cheaper, and faster to build in America. The Build More Agenda strengthens that foundation, with over sixty policy proposals covering seven different policy areas. NAIA looks forward to working with the Caucus to back the builders,” said the New America Industrial Alliance.

“Finding childcare that's both affordable and meets their family’s specific needs is nearly impossible for far too many American parents. This agenda from the Build America Caucus offers an innovative menu of reforms to identify and remove the barriers to a more abundant supply of childcare options that fit family preferences without sacrificing quality or safety,” said Josh McCabe, Director of Social Policy, Niskanen Center.

“The housing affordability crisis is the result of many different factors, and solving it requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. The Build America Caucus agenda delivers this, with solutions that make it easier and less expensive to build housing. Critically, it does the same for transportation infrastructure and buses, because abundant housing and effective transportation options work together to connect people to economic opportunity,” said Kimberly Burnett, Deputy Director of Housing and Transportation at the Niskanen Center.

“America's healthcare affordability crisis is fueled by a scarce and consolidated supply side of the market. This agenda from the Build America Caucus rightly targets solutions that increase care availability and cut out the incentives that drive consolidation,” said Lawson Mansell, Senior Health Policy Analyst at the Niskanen Center.

“We applaud the Build America Caucus for its energy agenda focused on more power and lower bills. Getting transmission right and having neighboring regions connected is how you build a grid Americans can afford,” said Sarah Iskander, Government Affairs Manager at the Niskanen Center.

“Whether it's housing, transportation, energy or infrastructure, the federal government needs the tools and capacity to deliver for the American people. Meeting those demands requires a government whose systems and processes make delivery possible, and right now ours is not built to keep pace with changes in the workforce, technology and the public's needs. The Build America Caucus's policy agenda takes this challenge head on, rightly recognizing state capacity as essential to unlocking a prosperous future for our country,” said Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

“Getting the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act into law was a major accomplishment, and Congressman Josh Harder and Congresswoman Celeste Maloy deserve a lot of credit for helping build the bipartisan coalition that got it done. Now we have to make it work. That means making sure HUD has the people and resources to implement the law well, while continuing the bipartisan work of finding the next set of solutions to get more homes built. The Build America Caucus’ Build More Agenda carries that work forward by keeping the focus on implementation and putting new ideas on the table. Up for Growth supports that direction, and we look forward to bringing our members and policy expertise to the work ahead,” said Mike Kingsella, Chief Executive Officer of Up for Growth.