Since taking office in January, U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego has made housing a centerpiece of his work in the upper chamber. For the freshman senator, creating more housing options in Arizona is personal.
“Growing up, I watched my single mom work tirelessly to afford a safe apartment for my sisters and me,” he said. “For too many Arizonans today, no matter how hard they work, rent is unaffordable. I’m proud of the bills we’re working on to address the housing crisis. I plan to continue fighting to bring down housing costs in my home state and across the country.”
The legislation Gallego is working on seeks to streamline permitting, fix outdated rules, maximize development opportunities, and restore fairness to federal housing funding.
“The market has been distorted for a lot of reasons,” he said. “Some is overregulation on our part, some is the market in general, some is zoning. But at least we in Congress have decided to step up and do something.”
Housing Package Wins Rare Bipartisan Approval
The ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 is one piece of legislation Sen. Gallego helped write to expand housing supply and improve affordability.
In a rare instance of political consensus, it is the first bipartisan housing package to win approval from the Senate’s housing committee in 20 years. It is currently awaiting a full vote in the Senate.
One part of the bill would require the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to review outdated limits on multifamily construction loans, potentially unlocking the development of thousands of new rental units each year.
Another proposal would modernize the definition of manufactured housing to include modular and prefabricated homes in hopes of encouraging greater innovation in the industry and lowering costs.
The ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 also seeks to strengthen support for homeless veterans and enable federal agencies to better coordinate housing programs.
“Arizona used to be affordable, but that’s no longer the case,” Gallego said during a recent committee hearing. “This is about giving families a fair chance to achieve the American dream of a home, and doing it in a bipartisan way.”
Fixing Funding for Rental Assistance
Another bill, the Housing Vouchers Fairness Act, was introduced by Gallego to modernize how the federal government distributes Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8.
The Section 8 program provides rental assistance to low-income individuals and families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Currently, funding is provided based on population rates from 25 years ago, leaving fast-growing cities like Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert at a disadvantage.
For instance, even though Phoenix and Philadelphia have a similar number of residents, Phoenix receives fewer than 7,500 vouchers while Philadelphia receives more than 22,000.
Gallego’s bill would add $2 billion to the program and ensure high-growth urban areas finally get their fair share.
“It’s unfair that Arizona rental-assistance waitlists stretch for years,” Gallego said. “My bill finally addresses the disparities in the federal housing voucher program so that more Arizonans can get into safe, affordable homes.”
Responsible Housing Development on Federal Land
Gallego also has advocated for responsible housing development on public land.
He recently asked a new federal task force researching the issue to pursue a balanced approach that considers local input, tribal sovereignty and environmental safeguards.
“Especially in Western states that have patchworks of federal and private land, improving building opportunities on some federal land could be a creative solution to housing shortages in some communities,” Gallego said.
For instance, 42% of all land in Arizona is federally owned compared to East Coast states like New York where less than 1% is federal land.
That disparity must be addressed, Gallego said.
“It is imperative that we pursue every available avenue to reduce the burden of housing costs on families and make home ownership an accessible cornerstone of the American dream,” he said.
Pushing for Solutions
As these bills find support, Gallego’s housing agenda is gaining momentum.
For Arizona families squeezed by high costs, the efforts signal that some in Washington are taking their concerns seriously.
