White House Announces Plan to Use Federal Lands to ‘Reduce Housing Costs’

The White House has announced plans to “use” federal lands to create more “affordable housing.” While the effort would presumably destroy areas of wildlife that have been deliberately protected for generations, it will face some daunting headwinds. The initiative is to be carried out by the Department of Housing Development (HUD) and the Department of the Interior. In a joint announcement from HUD Secretary Scott Turner and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the government said Monday that it was planning to use “underutilized federal Land suitable for housing to increase supply and decrease costs for millions of Americans.” The announcement was also republished as an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal weirdly titled “Federal Lands Can Be Home Sweet Home.” According to the announcement, the two agencies will work together to identify what public lands would be most suitable for conversion into commercial housing: Under this agreement, HUD will pinpoint where housing needs are most pressin ... Read full article.