Tribal communities deserve a seat at the table in federal housing talks | Rep. Troy Downing

Americans across the country are feeling the squeeze of a very real housing crisis. The National Association of Realtors estimates that the average age of the first-time homebuyer was 40 years old in 2025.

In Montana, some estimates show the median sale price of a home exceeding $500,000. The internet and social media are filled with testimonies critiquing sky-high housing prices in hotspots like Bozeman where starter homes are selling for a million or more.

Congress is taking notice. Right now, members of the House and Senate are working to reconcile differences between our two bills, the Housing for the 21st Century Act and ROAD to Housing Act respectively, to make housing more affordable.

The House’s bill removes unnecessary regulatory barriers, modernizes HUD programs, and enhances community banking operations to expand lending for buyers and builders alike. But for all the good that is sure to come of these legislative efforts, there’s one group getting left behind: America’s tribal communities.

The primary law governing federal support for housing in Indian Country is the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA), which created a dedicated affordable housing program for tribes — the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Program.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that while American Indian and Alaska Natives have a homeownership rate of 53.7%, significantly lower than the national average of approximately 66%, poverty among tribal communities has fallen from 31% in 1995 to 19.4% in 2024. What’s more, the IHBG program has supported the construction, acquisition, and rehabilitation of over 160,000 housing units — that’s meaningful.

It’s clear NAHASDA is having a positive impact, but the law has not been updated since 2008, and its programs have not been authorized since 2013. Indian Country needs the stability of reauthorization to responsibly plan, finance, and maintain housing investments, along with modernized rules and regulations that unlock tribes’ ability to adapt to changing economic, construction, and community realities.

That means consolidating environmental reviews required for NAHASDA-funded projects and providing relief from the arbitrary “30% rent rule” for grant-assisted units. Tribes should be determining fair rent standards, not the federal government.

Tribal housing projects should also be exempt from Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements that drive up the cost of homebuilding. These updates, paired with the modernization of the Section 184 lending program, will be a force multiplier for housing affordability in Indian Country.

Homeownership is the foundation of the American dream — that doesn’t stop with Americans in our tribal communities. Without NAHASDA reauthorization and modernization, outdated requirements limit flexibility and slow progress as housing needs grow more complex.

Whether through new legislation or ongoing efforts, Congress needs to stop kicking the can down the road. I’ll be leading from the front. Watch this space.