Congress is entering a short and politically charged pre-election session. The Senate is scheduled to return for legislative business on September 14, leaving lawmakers only a limited window before campaigning overtakes the congressional calendar. For the lumber and building materials industry, the central question is not how many bills Congress can pass in that time. It is whether lawmakers can use the remaining days to provide stability, follow through on housing reform, and avoid policies that make homes and building materials more expensive.
The most immediate deadline—government funding—has moved beyond Election Day. The House approved the Senate’s stopgap measure extending federal funding through December 11, averting the immediate threat of a pre-election shutdown while postponing final fiscal-year decisions until after voters go to the polls. That provides near-term continuity, but it also guarantees that consequential choices about federal programs, agency budgets, workforce investments, and regulatory enforcement will return during the year-end session.
For ABMA members, that means the September session should be viewed as both a legislative sprint and a bridge to the larger year-end debate. ABMA will remain focused on a straightforward principle: federal policy should make it easier—not harder—to build, supply, deliver, and purchase homes Americans can afford.
Funding Stability Matters to Main Street
Avoiding a shutdown before the election is important. Lumberyards, building-material suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, and builders need predictable government operations. Interruptions at federal agencies can delay approvals, financing, contracting, technical assistance, and other processes that affect construction activity.
A temporary funding measure, however, is not the same as long-term certainty. Congress must still determine final funding levels for the fiscal year, and those negotiations could affect housing programs, infrastructure activity, workforce training, apprenticeships, and the federal agencies that oversee employers and the construction supply chain.
ABMA will be watching those decisions closely. In particular, Congress should preserve effective, industry-relevant workforce programs, and avoid funding policies that create new compliance costs without delivering measurable benefits. Federal spending should help address real capacity constraints—such as the shortage of skilled workers—rather than expand red tape for the businesses already working to meet housing demand.
The Housing Debate Has Entered a New Phase
Congress achieved a significant bipartisan milestone this summer when the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became Public Law 119-101 on July 11. The law is intended to increase housing supply and address regulatory barriers that have constrained production. Its enactment means the immediate housing agenda is no longer about passing that flagship package; it is about implementation, oversight, and ensuring that the law produces meaningful results.
That distinction matters. Passage is an important step, but housing policy succeeds only when it results in more homes that working families can afford.
Congress and the administration must now ensure that implementation is timely, transparent, and grounded in the realities of home construction. Federal agencies should seek input from builders, suppliers, local officials, and other stakeholders who understand where costs and delays enter the process. Congress should use its oversight authority to track outcomes, identify obstacles, and ensure that new programs do not become buried under excessive administrative requirements.
