Tim Scott

Across South Carolina and the United States, families are asking a simple question: Is homeownership within reach, and will it still be for the next generation?

For too many people, the answer feels uncertain. Housing costs remain high. Inventory remains tight. Young families are delaying the purchase of their first home. Workers are struggling to live near the jobs that power our economy. And the Palmetto State is one of the fastest-growing states in America.

That is why we need policies that focus on results, not rhetoric.

The good news is that South Carolina already offers a model.

Columbia has shown that when state and local governments work with the private sector, communities can build more housing, revitalize neighborhoods and create new opportunities. In Columbia, we are working together on building new brick homes for less than $200,000 and rehabbing existing housing stock to preserve our community’s vibrant neighborhoods.

Columbia’s success is exactly the kind of model the proposed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act was built to support. This landmark legislation would lower housing costs, expand supply and empower communities to lead. This bill, which passed the U.S. Senate 89-10 in March, was written with the important role that local governments play in mind and has earned the support of stakeholders such as the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities.

President Donald Trump also reiterated his strong support for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the bill “to save the American Dream of Homeownership.” We appreciate President Trump’s ongoing support and urge the House to take up the legislation as soon as possible. The ROAD to Housing Act starts with a principle South Carolinians understand well: The people closest to the problem are often closest to the solution.

Washington should not dictate a one-size-fits-all plan to grow housing supply for every city and town in America. What works in Columbia may not be the answer in Charleston, Greenville or rural communities across our state.

Local leaders know their neighborhoods. They know where roads need to be repaved, where infrastructure can support growth and where families need affordable options.

That’s exactly why Columbia’s approach deserves attention.

The city has used state, local and private resources to help build housing more efficiently while avoiding costly delays and unnecessary bureaucracy that too often come with federal programs. That means taxpayer dollars go further, projects move faster and families benefit sooner.

The ROAD to Housing Act follows that same blueprint. It cuts red tape that drives up costs. It modernizes outdated housing rules. It supports innovative pathways toward homeownership, like manufactured and modular housing. And it creates incentives for communities that are willing and ready to build, like Columbia.

But housing is only part of the story.

We have also seen firsthand how opportunity zones have helped unlock private investment in S.C. communities that have too often been overlooked. When paired with housing reform, the impact can be even greater.

Opportunity zones were created to bring billions of dollars in long-term capital into distressed areas, helping turn vacant lots into businesses, abandoned buildings into housing and unrealized potential into jobs and growth. This innovative tool puts decision-making and real investment opportunities into the hands of state and local leaders who know their communities best.

In Columbia and across South Carolina, that approach has helped attract investment, strengthen neighborhoods and create momentum where it was needed most.

Housing affordability should not be a partisan issue. Neither should economic opportunity.

The Senate has acted. Now, for the sake of towns, townships and cities working to facilitate construction nationwide, the job must be finished.

Tim Scott represents South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Daniel Rickenmann is the mayor of Columbia.