Washington State is facing a critical housing shortage, with nearly 172,000 affordable homes needed to meet the growing demand. U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) continues to make affordable housing a top priority, especially in her role as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. During a recent Budget Committee hearing, Murray highlighted the importance of increasing federal funding to address the housing crisis, emphasizing that action is needed at every level of government.
“The housing crisis is hitting everyone, and I hear about it constantly from folks back in Washington state,” said Senator Murray. “We’ve got a long way to go, and a lot of people to help, but to me—the bottom line is more affordable housing.”
Murray underscored the urgency of the situation, pointing to federal programs she has championed, including the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing program, also known as the “Yes-In-My-Back Yard” initiative. This program aims to identify and eliminate barriers to the production and preservation of affordable housing. Despite tough budget caps set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Murray secured $100 million for the program in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, a $15 million increase from the previous year.
Murray’s focus on affordable housing has been long-standing. She has fought to protect and expand key programs, including the HOME Investment Partnerships program and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which play critical roles in boosting the affordable housing supply. In the Fiscal Year 2025 housing funding bill, which Murray helped pass out of committee, she protected funding levels for the “Yes-In-My-Back Yard” program and secured an additional $175 million for the HOME program. This increase is expected to help construct more than 8,400 new affordable housing units for both renters and homebuyers.
Washington’s affordable housing shortage is particularly dire. For every 10 extremely low-income families in the state, there are only 3 affordable homes available, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Murray made it clear that this problem cannot be solved by one entity alone.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck crisis,” she said. “Every level of government needs to step up and do their part.”
During the hearing, Murray questioned housing experts on the most effective federal interventions to increase the affordable housing supply. Paul Williams, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Public Enterprise, highlighted the impact of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which has been the leading tool in the production of new affordable housing units. Williams also expressed optimism about the Pathways to Removing Obstacles program, which is helping to ease zoning and permitting challenges that have historically slowed housing development.
“I believe Seattle in your state received a Pathways to Removing Obstacles award, and I’m optimistic that will result in some changes in your state as well,” Williams said.
Greta Harris, President and CEO of the Better Housing Coalition, emphasized the importance of using multiple funding sources to develop affordable housing.
“The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit has been extremely effective in allowing us to produce and preserve affordable housing units,” Harris explained.
However, she noted that piecing together various financing sources can delay housing projects by 12 to 24 months, which slows down efforts to meet the overwhelming demand.
“The cost of a unit of housing, whether it’s market rate or affordable, is almost identical,” Harris said. “The only way we are able to offer rents at 50, 60, 70 percent off of market rate rents is by holding our debt down to about 30 percent of the overall development cost.”
Senator Murray also used the hearing to address drastic proposals from some Republican leaders, including those in Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, which seeks to eliminate federal funding and oversight for housing programs. These proposals include selling off the nation’s public housing stock and leaving affordable housing initiatives to states and localities without federal support. Murray expressed concern about the potential impact on states like Washington, where federal funding is essential to building affordable housing.
Joseph Shekarchi, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, warned that privatizing public housing would have devastating consequences, exacerbating the housing shortage and making it harder for low-income residents to find affordable homes.
“It would have a disastrous effect, not only on Rhode Island but on the rest of the country,” Shekarchi said.
He added that local zoning reforms are important, but federal involvement is crucial.
“We need both—federal subsidies and land use reform on a local level. The states and local communities cannot do it alone.”
Shekarchi stressed that the housing crisis is a national issue that requires partnership between the federal government and the private sector.
“The private sector is ready and willing to build,” he said. “But we need the federal government as well. This is not a red state issue or a blue state issue, this is an every state issue.”
Murray echoed this sentiment, stating that the federal government must remain an active partner in solving the housing crisis. She remains committed to fighting for federal investment in affordable housing, recognizing that the stakes are high for Washington state and the nation as a whole.
