{"id":3797,"date":"2026-03-12T13:20:23","modified":"2026-03-12T13:20:37","slug":"inquirer-fetterman-mccormick-heres-why-were-behind-a-bipartisan-plan-to-help-first-time-home-buyers","link":"https:\/\/www.fetterman.senate.gov\/inquirer-fetterman-mccormick-heres-why-were-behind-a-bipartisan-plan-to-help-first-time-home-buyers\/","title":{"rendered":"Inquirer: Fetterman, McCormick: Here\u2019s why we\u2019re behind a bipartisan plan to help first-time home buyers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 <\/strong>Last week, U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) penned a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed in support of the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act<\/em> discussing its importance for Pennsylvanians and all Americans. The legislative package, which includes Senator Fetterman\u2019s bipartisan Whole-Home Repairs Act<\/em><\/a>, was passed this afternoon by the U.S. Senate 89-10 and now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.<\/p>\n\n

\u2014<\/p>\n\n

By: <\/strong>U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dave McCormick (R-PA)<\/a><\/p>\n\n

When we were teenagers growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Americans typically bought their first home at the age of 29. Now, first-time home buyers tend to be in their 40s<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

As U.S. senators from different parties, we don\u2019t agree on everything. But as friends, parents of nine children between us, and representatives of working families across Pennsylvania, we cannot accept this terrible trend.<\/p>\n\n

The American dream \u2014 the promise that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can build a good life and financial security in a home that you own \u2014 must not fall out of reach of young Pennsylvanians.<\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s why we support the ROAD to Housing Act<\/a>. This bipartisan bill, which the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on this week<\/a>, will help address Pennsylvania\u2019s housing crisis by making it easier to build more homes, more affordably, while also preserving and repairing the housing stock we already have.<\/p>\n\n

The commonwealth has 100,000 fewer homes than it needs today and is on track to be short 185,000 by 2035.<\/p>\n\n

As a result of this shortage, home prices have increased 75% in the last five years. More than one million Pennsylvania households spend over 30% of their income on housing, and more than half of our housing stock is over 50 years old, driving up repair costs and straining family budgets.<\/p>\n\n

That combination \u2014 too few and too many aging homes \u2014 creates a squeeze felt from Erie to Philly: young families delaying having kids, seniors stuck in homes they can\u2019t afford to fix, workers turning down jobs because they can\u2019t find a place to live nearby.<\/p>\n\n

The shortage will get even more acute as new investments in Pennsylvania\u2019s energy and artificial intelligence, defense, and life-science industries generate great new jobs across the commonwealth.<\/p>\n\n

We have celebrated these transformative investments, from U.S. Steel to the Philly Shipyard, but more jobs mean more workers, and workers need homes.<\/p>\n\n

The ROAD Act delivers by taking three commonsense approaches. First, it tackles affordability at the source \u2014 supply \u2014 by reducing delays and lowering construction costs.<\/p>\n\n

Second, it strengthens accountability and modernizes federal programs to ensure they work for the people they\u2019re meant to serve.<\/p>\n\n

Third, it empowers Pennsylvanians to build what fits local needs.<\/p>\n\n

We\u2019re proud that the bill includes provisions to protect Pennsylvania workers, veterans, and homeowners, which we championed together. Our Whole-Home Repairs legislation<\/a>, for example, supports homeowners, especially in markets like ours with many historic residences, by offering grants and forgivable loans for repairs and upgrades of aging homes, keeping families in their homes and stabilizing neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n

This isn\u2019t a Republican problem or a Democratic problem. It\u2019s an American one, and it demands bipartisan action.<\/p>\n\n

For these reasons, we stand united, as we have on many other issues, in voting yes for the ROAD to Housing Act.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false}}