Rounds leads effort to improve HUD home loan services for Native Americans

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced on Tuesday the Native American Housing Affordability Act of 2019, which seeks to speed up the mortgage loan processing time for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. 

The bipartisan legislation would reform the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program and ease the path to homeownership for Native Americans across the country.

“Our legislation will help even more Native American families become homeowners by removing regulatory hurdles that too often delay loan processing,” Rounds said.

Sen. Rounds introduced the bill, S. 2725, with U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Martha McSally (R-AZ). The legislation would remove regulatory hurdles within HUD as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs that often delay the loan process. 

“If it takes months, or even years, for a Native American family to buy a home, the process is clearly broken,” Sen. McSally said. “Our bill improves HUD’s Loan Guarantee Program and cuts red tape that is stifling the ability for Native families to become homeowners and create more opportunities for their family.”

Gary Cooper, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National American Indian Housing Council and executive director of the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, said the HUD 184 Loan Guarantee Program has helped Native Americans access mortgage loans for more than 25 years. 

“However, the program can still be improved, particularly for homeowners on trust lands. I applaud Senators Rounds and Smith for introducing the Native American Housing Affordability Act and look forward to working with Congress to find ways to improve the HUD 184 Program,” Cooper said.