Davids Helps Launch Bipartisan Agenda to Cut Red Tape, Boost Local Economies, Lower Everyday Costs for Kansas Families

Image October 6, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Representative Sharice Davids, a member of the Build America Caucus , helped announce the Build More Agenda — a major bipartisan policy platform designed to fix federal gridlock, strengthen local economies, create jobs, and lower everyday prices for hardworking families. By streamlining approval processes for energy, housing, and infrastructure, the roadmap directly targets the bureaucratic delays that slow down construction, drive up utility and housing costs, and prevent critical projects from getting built. “Kansans don’t want D.C. talking points — they want lower utility bills, homes they can actually afford, and roads that aren't falling apart,” said Davids . “The problem isn't a lack of good ideas; it's the bureaucratic red tape slowing projects down for years. I’m supporting the bipartisan Build America Caucus’ new agenda because it would help cut through government gridlock and start building these projects now, not a decade from now.” The bipartisan Build America Caucus was established to give pro-growth, pragmatic policymaking a permanent foothold in Congress. Over the past year, the Caucus helped negotiate and pass major bipartisan housing reform legislation and led bipartisan efforts to deliver permitting certainty for energy and infrastructure projects. Spanning seven core policy areas and over 60 legislative proposals, the Build More Agenda builds on those successes, establishing a comprehensive framework to spur domestic production, bring manufacturing home, create good-paying jobs, and lower the cost of living for Kansans. “Not enough homes or energy, shortages of doctors and daycares, cures that take too long to reach patients, and infrastructure projects that drag on for decades. That’s what life in America looks like today because we’ve lost the ability to build the things we need,” said Caucus Co-Chairs Harder and Maloy . “We used to believe that America was the only place in the world where the boldest dreams could be realized, and we need a new politics of action to restore that national ambition and trust in government. The Build America Caucus was founded a little over a year ago with that goal in mind, and the Build More Agenda is our bipartisan roadmap to make growth and prosperity the cornerstone of American life once again.” The solution to systemic dysfunction is to build our way to prosperity: Lowering Housing Costs: With the nation facing a shortage of five million homes , the agenda reduces regulatory delays, unlocks new project financing, and fully implements the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to expand homeownership options and bring housing prices back within reach for young families and working Kansans. Cutting Healthcare Costs & Red Tape: We spend more on healthcare than any other nation, but that care is unaffordable, inaccessible, and archaic. It reallocates physician training investments and slashes mountain-high administrative paperwork, so doctors spend time on patient outcomes rather than bureaucracy — cutting health system waste and lowering out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. Cheaper, Reliable Energy: Electricity rates have jumped more than 30 percent in recent years. The platform fixes broken permitting rules, so grid upgrades and energy projects don't take longer to approve than to actually construct, bringing down monthly electricity bills for households and small businesses. Building Infrastructure Faster: It establishes dedicated fast-track approvals and smarter federal funding models to ensure roads, bridges, and water systems are completed on schedule and under budget — ending costly construction delays that waste taxpayer dollars. Accelerating Medical Cures: America is losing its scientific edge because our scientists spend half their time on paperwork and research dollars aren’t geared toward modern discovery. It saves American medical researchers over one million hours a year spent on bureaucratic paperwork, redirecting resources toward breakthrough science and AI technology to accelerate cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, and chronic conditions. Expanding Childcare & Workforce Pipelines: It strengthens workforce development programs that directly match workers to high-paying local jobs, while expanding accessible childcare options so parents can stay in the workforce without breaking their household budgets. Modernizing Government to Save Taxpayer Dollars: It cuts redundant D.C. red tape, updates archaic federal technology systems, and builds a skill-focused public workforce that manages taxpayer funds efficiently. Read the full agenda here . Read a section-by-section here . “America knows how to build, we just have to get out of our own way and start doing it,” said Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR-05) . “More homes, better roads and bridges, new technology, and good jobs – this agenda is about turning big ideas into things people can actually see and feel in their communities. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and help get it done.” “Americans are tired of Washington making it harder and more expensive to build, innovate, and grow,” said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) . “The Build More Agenda brings Republicans and Democrats together around commonsense solutions to cut red tape, lower costs, strengthen American energy, improve access to healthcare, and get critical projects built. I’m proud to work with the Build America Caucus to turn good ideas into real results for the American people.” “The Build More Agenda reflects what we can accomplish when we work across the aisle to tackle challenges facing American families and businesses,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) . “I’m proud to join my colleagues in the bipartisan Build America Caucus to advance practical solutions that cut unnecessary red tape, lower costs, and help America build faster and smarter. By modernizing infrastructure and creating opportunities for American workers and manufacturers, we can strengthen our economy, make taxpayer dollars go further, and deliver lasting results for our communities.” “America used to pride itself on accomplishing big things — winning world wars, sending man to the moon, or discovering the next medical breakthrough,” said Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA-50) . “Today, our challenges have not gone away, but our capacity to achieve great things has. Our constituents are counting on us to put politics aside and invest in our country’s future to make their lives better. The bipartisan Build More Agenda includes ways to do exactly that: lower costs, create good-paying jobs, strengthen communities, and restore America as a global leader in progress and innovation.” “Folks in Western and Southern Colorado know how to build things, create jobs, and get things done,” said Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO-03) . “Too often, Washington just gets in the way. The Build More Agenda is about cutting unnecessary red tape so we can produce more American energy, build the housing and infrastructure our communities need, and bring down costs for working families. Republicans and Democrats aren’t going to agree on everything, but we ought to be able to agree that it shouldn’t take years of paperwork and bureaucracy to build something in this country.” “A housing shortage is a tax on working people, and they pay it every month in rent,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) . “For decades, we have piled on rules and caps that make it slower and costlier to build homes, and few places have paid a higher price than the Bronx. The surest way to bring down the cost of housing is to bring up the supply of housing. The Build More Agenda is built on that principle, because a pro-growth agenda is a pro–working class agenda. Progress should be measured not by how many projects we regulate but by how many we deliver.” “Congress passed a housing abundance bill this term,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) . “It's seriously debating a bipartisan energy abundance bill. Build America has momentum in its mission to lower prices by building more, faster & better – next up are unlocks to lower prices in medicine, transportation, and childcare.” “As a senior member of the Housing, Transportation, and Urban Development Subcommittee, I’m proud to be a member of the bipartisan Build America Caucus. My constituents tell me every day they want to see their representatives in Washington take actions that will make their lives better – lower the cost of housing, healthcare, and energy,” said Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) . “At a time of deep political division, we have the unique opportunity to come together as Democrats and Republicans to lower costs and solve the housing crisis.” “Whether it’s rebuilding a bridge over I-95 in record time or passing landmark housing legislation, we know that government can still get things done, if rarely,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT-04) . “I’m in the Build America Caucus because this group of lawmakers fundamentally believes government needs to get things done — not as the exception, but as the rule. Our agenda reflects that belief, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to turn our group’s governing principle into law.” What they’re saying about the Build More Agenda : “For too long, we’ve treated a four-year college degree as the default path to a good career. The Build America Caucus’s push to get more apprenticeships and higher-quality workforce training programs off the ground is a critical step forward. If we want to build more in America, we need to make it easier for more Americans to learn how to do the building,” said Zach Boren, Senior Vice President, Apprenticeships for America . “Getting lawmakers from both parties to agree on what's holding the country back is no easy feat, and we applaud the Build America Caucus for assembling a genuinely bipartisan coalition around these questions. BPC Action has long argued that the problems on this list — the cost of building housing, the time it takes to approve energy projects, and a broken childcare system — are solvable ones. We look forward to working with the caucus and its members as they move from agenda to legislation,” said Michele Stockwell, President, BPC Action . “Through their work with the Build America Caucus, Reps. Harder and Maloy have asked how we can build more of what Americans actually need and answered it across housing, childcare, energy, and more. We applaud this effort and its goal to build 5 million homes, add millions more new childcare slots, modernize the energy grid, and get infrastructure built faster. This comprehensive plan demonstrates that pragmatic, actionable solutions can still be ambitious. This Agenda, written by a Democrat from California and a Republican from Utah, also shows the strength of abundance solutions in building coalitions. I urge Congress to take action on these solutions,” said Derek Kaufman, President, Inclusive Abundance Action . “The Build More Agenda is an innovative, bipartisan framework for creating a more abundant future in America. The priorities laid out in this agenda have the potential to make a massive difference in areas from science and innovation to housing, transportation, and energy. For example, we were thrilled to see X-Labs and metascience units highlighted as vehicles to accelerate scientific discovery and increase the return on investment for R&D. Similarly, the Agenda’s focus on reducing land use regulations, building transit at lower cost, and achieving energy abundance is crucial for letting America build again and innovate in the world of atoms,” said Alec Stapp, CEO, Institute for Progress . “For the past year, the Build America Caucus has worked across the aisle to notch key policy wins, making it easier, cheaper, and faster to build in America. The Build More Agenda strengthens that foundation, with over sixty policy proposals covering seven different policy areas. NAIA looks forward to working with the Caucus to back the builders,” said the New America Industrial Alliance . “Finding childcare that's both affordable and meets their family’s specific needs is nearly impossible for far too many American parents. This agenda from the Build America Caucus offers an innovative menu of reforms to identify and remove the barriers to a more abundant supply of childcare options that fit family preferences without sacrificing quality or safety,” said Josh McCabe, Director of Social Policy, Niskanen Center . “The housing affordability crisis is the result of many different factors, and solving it requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. The Build America Caucus agenda delivers this, with solutions that make it easier and less expensive to build housing. Critically, it does the same for transportation infrastructure and buses, because abundant housing and effective transportation options work together to connect people to economic opportunity,” said Kimberly Burnett, Deputy Director of Housing and Transportation, Niskanen Center . “America's healthcare affordability crisis is fueled by a scarce and consolidated supply side of the market. This agenda from the Build America Caucus rightly targets solutions that increase care availability and cut out the incentives that drive consolidation,” said Lawson Mansell, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center . “We applaud the Build America Caucus for its energy agenda focused on more power and lower bills. Getting transmission right and having neighboring regions connected is how you build a grid Americans can afford,” said Sarah Iskander, Government Affairs Manager, Niskanen Center . “Whether it's housing, transportation, energy, or infrastructure, the federal government needs the tools and capacity to deliver for the American people. Meeting those demands requires a government whose systems and processes make delivery possible, and right now ours is not built to keep pace with changes in the workforce, technology, and the public's needs. The Build America Caucus's policy agenda takes this challenge head-on, rightly recognizing state capacity as essential to unlocking a prosperous future for our country,” said Max Stier, President and CEO, Partnership for Public Service . “Getting the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act into law was a major accomplishment, and Congressman Josh Harder and Congresswoman Celeste Maloy deserve a lot of credit for helping build the bipartisan coalition that got it done. Now we have to make it work. That means making sure HUD has the people and resources to implement the law well, while continuing the bipartisan work of finding the next set of solutions to get more homes built. The Build America Caucus’ Build More Agenda carries that work forward by keeping the focus on implementation and putting new ideas on the table. Up for Growth supports that direction, and we look forward to bringing our members and policy expertise to the work ahead,” said Mike Kingsella, Chief Executive Officer, Up for Growth . Issues : Energy & Environment Healthcare Jobs, Economy & Small Businesses Making Government Work for Kansans Transportation & Infrastructure