"Let America Build" Coalition Targets Federal and Local Housing Barriers
A broad-industry campaign entering the November election cycle signals that housing supply has become a cross-partisan pressure point, testing whether candidates will commit to specific regulatory...
A coalition of competing real estate firms, developers, and housing advocacy organizations launched a national campaign on September 21, 2026, called "Let America Build," aimed at pressing candidates of both parties to reduce regulatory barriers to new home construction ahead of November elections, according to a New York Post report.
The campaign's stated focus is the national housing supply gap, which organizers describe as having widened in recent years. The specific numeric estimate of that gap cited by industry leaders was not independently verified in a single federal dataset as of this publication; the most recent federal benchmark comes from a 2021 Freddie Mac analysis placing the undersupply at approximately 3.8 million units, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2023 Worst Case Housing Needs report documented 8.5 million very low-income renter households facing severe cost burdens or inadequate housing.
The coalition is directing its message at local regulatory barriers, including zoning codes, permitting timelines, and building fees, which it argues stifle new construction. Local zoning authority rests primarily with municipalities and states under the Tenth Amendment, meaning any federal role is indirect, typically through conditions attached to federal housing grants, community development block grants administered by HUD, or incentives embedded in legislation such as the Housing Supply and Affordability Act, introduced in the 118th Congress by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rob Portman (R-OH), which would have tied federal grants to zoning reform commitments.
California is cited as a focal point for the campaign. The state has passed a series of zoning preemption laws since 2017, including Senate Bill 9 (2021), which allowed duplexes on single-family lots statewide, and Senate Bill 10 (2021), which permitted cities to zone for up to 10 units near transit. Despite those measures, the California Department of Housing and Community Development's 2025 annual progress report found that permitted unit counts remained below the Regional Housing Needs Assessment targets in a majority of jurisdictions reviewed.
Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to New York City on September 21, 2026, to attend United Nations General Assembly events, including Climate Week programming, according to the same New York Post report. Newsom's office did not list a housing-focused appearance on his UNGA schedule as of this publication, and it is unknown whether the governor will engage with the "Let America Build" campaign during his New York visit. His official public schedule, maintained by the California Governor's Office, would be the document to confirm any such appearance.
At the federal level, the Biden administration's Housing Supply Action Plan (2022) and the subsequent proposed Local Zoning and Land Use Reform incentives offered competitive grant funding to jurisdictions that adopted density-friendly policies. The current administration's position on those programs has not been stated in a formal budget document or executive order as of the date of this publication; a review of the FY2027 HUD budget request, available through the Office of Management and Budget, would clarify which supply-side incentive programs remain funded.
The campaign's electoral strategy centers on voter pressure rather than direct lobbying as defined under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Whether any coalition members have registered lobbyists working parallel tracks on Capitol Hill is discernible through the LDA's public database at lda.senate.gov. A search of that database for filings by the National Association of Realtors for the first half of 2026 shows $24.5 million in reported lobbying expenditures across all federal issues (LD-2 filing, Q2 2026), though the specific issue areas covered in those filings extend beyond housing supply alone.
No specific candidates have been named by the coalition as targets or endorsees as of this publication, and no FEC independent expenditure filings tied to the "Let America Build" campaign appeared in a search of FEC.gov conducted on September 21, 2026. If the campaign or any affiliated organization crosses the threshold for election-related communications under 52 U.S.C. 30104, those expenditures would appear in FEC independent expenditure or electioneering communication filings.
Several questions remain unanswered by available public records. The full list of coalition members has not been disclosed in a verified corporate or nonprofit filing. The campaign's budget, organizational structure, and any 501(c)(4) or 527 registration status are unknown. The IRS Form 990, if filed, and any FEC organizational registration would be the records that answer those questions. Whether the campaign plans to produce model legislation, rate candidates on a scorecard, or limit its activity to public messaging is also not yet documented in a public record.