Americans are told that Washington is hopelessly divided, with Republicans and Democrats drifting further toward extremes as everyday families struggle to afford basic living costs. In an election year, many assume that any meaningful change will have to wait until next year. Yet this week, the House of Representatives is set to offer a rare exception: a bipartisan bill that brings together Democrats and Republicans around a single goal — reducing housing costs by making it easier to build homes.

As chairman of the House’s only housing-focused panel, the Housing & Insurance Subcommittee, I know firsthand that the U.S.’s housing affordability crisis stems from a decadeslong imbalance between supply and demand. The solution is straightforward: to bring down housing costs, we must make it easier to build more homes.