Andy Harris

Maryland’s lone Republican representative in Congress is in desperate need of a reality check. The U.S. Congress worked together to pass profoundly transformative housing legislation with broad bipartisan consensus support. It is an embarrassing look that Congressman Andy Harris stands out as one of 32 unreasonable Republican voices who seemed to value the approval of President Donald Trump over the economic future of the state of Maryland. I find myself in the rare position of being more pleased with Democratic Congressman Johnny Olszewski, who supported this very American bill.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, championed by Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, is a package of bills that would finally bring the might of the federal government to bear against an arcane web of bureaucracy and cronyism that has financially crippled families with high rents and no path to homeownership across the nation. Marylanders are already buckling under the weight of crushing financial burdens imposed by the short-sighted and reckless policies of Gov. Wes Moore and the equally thoughtless Democrat-controlled General Assembly.

If the law is successfully implemented as designed, Marylanders would see their rents drop and mortgage payments decrease based on the simple economic axiom of supply and demand. The legislation is astonishingly conservative. It avoids the use of taxpayer dollars and does little to expand government bureaucracy while drawing the broad support of Democrats.

Homeownership has long been associated with the American Dream. Policymakers throughout America’s history understood this core concept to be instrumental to a free society. Thanks to a steady stream of government meddling and corporate cronyism, America’s housing supply has diminished rapidly in recent decades. In Maryland alone, the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment estimates that the state needs over half a million new units by 2045 just to keep up with population growth.

Year-over-year supply deficits mean ever-increasing rents and rising new home prices. Ironically, Harris’ opposition to this legislation exacerbates the rising tide of socialist populism fueled by charismatic politicians such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. These socialists exploit America’s housing supply shortage by pushing for government-funded rent assistance, rent freezes and other taxpayer-funded entitlements. The old line about never solving a problem that can get you reelected usually applies to progressives. Here, the shoe fits Harris just fine.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act draws its broad power from a few fundamental concepts that should resonate with everyone but the most extreme ends of the political spectrum. It ambitiously places the responsibility for procuring capital for housing projects within the private sector by giving banks the ability to invest more in public welfare projects, including housing. Every fiscal conservative should be salivating at the fact that even hard progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren are on board with this.

The legislation also leans into the Republican value of efficiency by leveraging the research and infrastructure developed around Trump’s Opportunity Zone initiative. It builds on those concepts with a closer look at preservation and construction grants in these zones. The legislation gives local authorities more flexibility with zoning and clears bureaucratic hurdles. Most importantly, it streamlines convoluted environmental study requirements. In short, the legislation increases private investment and clears government roadblocks.

By way of compromise, Democrats get sharper scrutiny on large corporate buyers that aggressively acquire single-family homes and properties, often reducing inventory available for individual buyers and pushing up prices. The legislation also takes a reasonable look at areas that have been historically challenged economically and encourages greater investment through Community Development Block Grants. It allows the development of multi-family units such as apartments and townhomes where it makes sense. It is honestly not a bad deal for Democrats.

If the legislation becomes law, Maryland gets a tremendous win with provisions that authorize more resources to rehabilitate vacant structures into residential use. For places like Baltimore with thousands of vacant buildings, this could be a badly needed shot in the arm for our local economy. Republican, Democrat or independent, everyone should celebrate such a smart and efficient approach.

Getting to this place required a lot of work, negotiation and compromise. It required members of Congress deliberating on a steady basis and working together to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Most importantly, it required a steady focus on what is best for the people of this nation, not just what suits the agenda of the president.

It is disappointing that amid such a tremendous accomplishment on behalf of the people of the United States in actualizing the American Dream, self-serving politicians such as Harris choose instead to perpetuate the toxic intransigence that poisons our political process. We cannot ignore the profound influence of Trump, who refuses to recognize the incredible work of our legislators to bring a rare truly bipartisan bill to his desk. It is even more shameful that Congressman Harris chose to side with the president over the people of Maryland.