HUD Secretary Scott Turner touts public-private housing solutions in Iowa

Federal officials joined Iowa housing experts at an affordable housing development to tout the removal of regulations and other actions designed to make home construction and ownership more attainable.

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner joined Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity CEO Lance Henning Friday morning for a tour of Waukee Habitat for Humanity homes-in-progress. They also held a roundtable about affordable housing with others involved in housing and economic development programs.

“When you develop public-private partnerships, like we have here with Habitat for Humanity, that is the secret sauce,” Turner said. “That’s the magic in bringing back affordability — easing the regulatory environment, creating public-private partnerships, increasing the supply, bringing the costs down, helps the American people.”

Both the tour and roundtable discussion were off the record, with officials taking questions afterward.

Habitat for Humanity is in the process of building 48 new townhomes in Waukee, Henning said, with support coming from the local community, state and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through its HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

Housing development costs are rising “across the board,” from construction to regulation, labor, insurance and finding a spot to build, Henning said. An April report from the Joint Economic Committee and released by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, stated that there were 60,000 fewer home construction jobs in February 2026 than December 2024, and prices of copper, copper products, steel mill products and home appliances have also increased.

Asked about input costs for housing outpacing inflation, and Nunn said the U.S. has a 5 million household shortage and the average homeownership age has risen from mid-20s to mid-40s.

“We want to see the costs stay in line with what’s happening in inflation, and have it from a standpoint that we can really plan and think about how we can create affordability for the long term,” Henning said.

In his travels around the U.S., Turner said the number one obstacle in home building and development is the “burdensome” regulatory environment.

He cited two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in March, to expand mortgage access and remove regulations on residential development and home construction, the second of which directed Turner and the assistant to the president for domestic policy to release regulatory best practices related to housing construction and affordability for state and local governments.

Included in the best practices are recommendations for speeding up construction, freeing up land to develop new housing and cutting construction costs. HUD has also rescinded the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, which Turner said added as much as $30,000 in cost to each housing project, as “builders are already building to these codes.”

“Every locality knows their unique needs better than Washington, D.C.,” Turner said. “So, you’ve got to get the government, the federal government, out of the way, unleash that flexibility and control back to the localities, and make it easier for builders to build.”

Turner added that “almost $100,000 in building a single-family home is tied up in regulation.”

Nunn said the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives May 20, lowers regulations and allows for assistance for home renovations in order to keep current housing stock available. He said the bill included language that he introduced in January with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri to modernize USDA housing programs and expand rural housing access.

According to information from the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, the bill also allows banks more leeway in providing funding for housing projects, increases federal dollars for pilot programs and existing initiatives, shifts reporting and information sharing requirements and gives new directives to HUD.

Beyond legislation directly connected to housing, Nunn said policies promoting American-made products rather than relying on international supply chains and allowing year-round E15 fuel can help in driving down costs.

“It means a real future for a family that wants to be able to get into that first home, it means opportunities by getting rid of regulation, but also cutting down on some of the challenges that have been put on rural communities, whether that’s modular housing, prefab housing, single-family housing, and working with great partners like Lance here at Habitat for Humanity,” Nunn said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the title of Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity CEO Lance Henning.