Rep. Mike Flood joins NLC’s CitiesSpeak podcast to discuss how local leaders helped shape the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and what communities should do next.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act now law, cities, towns and villages have new opportunities to address housing shortages, expand housing supply and reduce barriers to development. In the latest episode of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) CitiesSpeak with Clarence Anthony podcast, U.S. Representative Mike Flood (R-Neb.) discusses the bipartisan effort behind the legislation and the critical role local leaders played in shaping its provisions.
Flood, who chairs the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, joins NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony to discuss his collaboration with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), improvements to federal housing programs and the steps local governments can take to put the new law into action.
Throughout the conversation, Flood emphasizes that housing affordability is more than a residential concern — it is an economic development challenge affecting communities of every size. He also highlights how feedback from mayors, local officials and housing stakeholders helped inform legislation designed to give communities greater flexibility to meet local housing needs.
What Local Leaders Should Know
Local Government Input Helped Shape the Legislation
Flood describes how his bipartisan partnership with Cleaver brought together housing stakeholders from across the country to identify barriers in federal housing programs. The resulting legislation includes changes to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs, including expanded flexibility for communities to use federal resources to build housing.
“I think we’ve given cities more of a seat at the table because ultimately those elected officials are the ones that respond directly to the citizens’ cries for more housing.” — Rep. Mike Flood
Housing Affordability is Essential to Local Economic Growth
From Lincoln to smaller Nebraska communities, Flood explains how limited housing supply affects workforce recruitment, economic development and opportunities for young families. He encourages local leaders to consider how housing policies can support broader community growth.
“Everything works better if we’re growing, and that is the barrier for a lot of the towns I represent.” — Rep. Mike Flood
Cities Should Prepare to Implement New Housing Opportunities and Demonstrate Results
As federal agencies develop regulations to implement the law, Flood encourages communities to explore manufactured and modular housing, review local development regulations and prepare to use new program flexibility. He also stresses the importance of documenting successful projects to build support for future federal housing investments.
“I think you’ve got to deploy the capital, and then you’ve got to tell your member of Congress what you did with it and how it made a difference.” — Rep. Mike Flood
The conversation also explores how bipartisan cooperation helped move the legislation forward and why continued collaboration between Congress and local governments will be essential to addressing America’s housing challenges.
Listen to the full conversation, also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
