Overview
- One order directs EPA and the Army Corps to revisit stormwater and wetlands permitting and tasks the White House environmental office to broaden NEPA categorical exclusions for housing-related projects.
- The same order tells HUD to publish state and local regulatory best practices within 60 days, with examples such as capped permitting timelines, by-right single-family approvals, third‑party inspections, and curbs on costly green building mandates.
- Agencies are instructed to review energy and water efficiency requirements for housing programs, simplify historic preservation reviews, and evaluate aligning Opportunity Zones with New Markets Tax Credits to support single-family construction.
- A second order instructs the CFPB to tailor mortgage rules for smaller lenders, modernize HMDA reporting, expand digital closings, and update appraisal standards, while banking regulators consider capital and liquidity changes and targeted Federal Home Loan Bank support.
- The White House cites estimates that regulations add over $90,000 to a new home’s price and says borrowers could see mortgage effects in months, as a bipartisan Senate housing bill that passed 89–10 moves to an uncertain reception in the House.