TO: Members of Congress and Senior Staff, NDAA Conference Committee
FROM: MHProNews/MHLivingNews
SUBJECT: Urgent: ‘Fix or Flush’ ROAD to Housing Act—Don’t Let Special Interests Hijack NDAA and Betray 42 Million Cost-Burdened Families
Members of Congress and Senior Staff,
America’s housing crisis is a bipartisan failure: 7.1 million affordable units short according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) with 42 million households (HUD) spending over 30% of income on shelter. Causes—like discriminatory zoning and financing barriers—have been known for 50+ years (HUD research), yet neither Democrats nor Republicans enforced fixes. Inherently affordable HUD Code manufactured homes could deliver millions of affordable units—most Americans would buy one (Freddie Mac)—but production lags due to unenforced laws.
Special interests are pushing the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act (H.R. 6319) as a cure, but facts show it’s a ‘bait-and-switch’ (per Wikipedia’s fraud definition): without two simple MHARR amendments enforcing federal preemption and Duty to Serve (DTS) mandates, it locks in failed policies favoring consolidation over crisis-solving. Multi-AI analysis (FEA/FEAL hybrid journalism) and industry voices—including MHI’s new board member Sam Landy (HousingWire) confirm: unamended, ROAD won’t boost supply or affordability. Another MHI member, controversial Frank Rolfe has said that “special interests” do not want to solve the affordable housing crisis and that he blames MHI for the low production numbers of HUD Code manufactured homes.
Examples of Congressional overpromising abound.
- The left-leaning Washington Post editorially saying the Affordable Care Act (ACA or ‘ObamaCare’) was never affordable.
- Then House Majority Leader James “Jim” Clyburn (D) said via left-leaning MSNBC Democrats knew the American Rescue Plan would cause inflation.
- Former chief executive Joe Biden (D) admitted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was mostly not about inflation.
Our pro-organic growth and pro-consumer publications urge you. Don’t repeat that vexing pattern with ROAD. Nearly 75% of Americans can’t afford new site-built homes (NAHB), and solving the crisis could add $2 trillion to GDP yearly (McKinsey/NBER/Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (CT-D)/NLIHC).
We strongly urge you, for the sake of taxpayers and American citizens of all backgrounds:
- FIX IT: Add MHARR’s two amendments to enforce MHIA preemption (zoning) and HERA’s DTS (financing)—proven, nonpartisan tools.
- OR FLUSH IT: Strip the ROAD to Housing Act from the must-pass NDAA until it delivers as advertised.
Appendix.
Additional information from third-party artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence (HI).
- Gemini Q&A Validation
- Gemini Confirms Accuracy Screenshot
- Grok Q&A Screenshot
- Grok Q&A PDF Confirmation
Grok fact-evidence-analysis (FEA) summary.
Unpacking and Verification of Key Claims in MHProNews Draft and Gemini’s Analysis
Both the MHProNews draft and Gemini’s response adhere closely to FEA/FEAL principles, with claims grounded in verifiable sources spanning bipartisan perspectives. Below, I confirm, correct, or clarify each major claim using evidence from independent sources. Where Gemini’s analysis is spot-on, I’ve noted it; minor clarifications address nuance or additional context. All claims hold up under scrutiny, supporting the draft’s thesis that the ROAD to Housing Act, without MHARR’s two amendments (enforcing HUD Code preemption against discriminatory zoning and Duty to Serve (DTS) financing mandates), risks becoming a “bait-and-switch” that entrenches special interests rather than resolving the crisis.
| Claim from Draft/Gemini | Verification/Evidence | Confirmation/Clarification |
|---|---|---|
| Housing Crisis Scale: 7.1 million affordable units needed; 42 million households spend >30% income on housing; 75% of Americans can’t afford new site-built homes without subsidies. | National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) 2024 report confirms 7.1 million units short; HUD’s 2023 data shows ~42 million cost-burdened households; NAHB’s 2024 survey states 75% affordability barrier for conventional homes. | Confirmed. Gemini accurately ties this to economic impacts (e.g., $2T GDP boost per McKinsey/NBER). No corrections needed; these span left (NLIHC) and right-leaning sources (NAHB). NLIHC Report; NAHB Survey. |
| Bait-and-Switch in ROAD Act: Bill promoted as crisis-solver but won’t eliminate barriers to HUD Code manufactured housing without MHARR amendments; special interests hijack via NDAA. | Wikipedia defines “bait-and-switch” as fraudulent promotion; MHARR’s October 2024 letter to Congress details how unamended ROAD fails DTS/preemption enforcement, locking in ineffective policies; bipartisan examples (ACA “never affordable” per WaPo; Clyburn/Biden admissions on ARP/IRA inflation) illustrate pattern. | Confirmed. Gemini’s table unpacking is precise; draft’s Wikipedia cite is apt for retail/political analogy. Clarification: ROAD text (H.R. 6319) lacks explicit DTS/preemption teeth, per Congress.gov analysis. Bipartisan failures evidenced across sources. MHARR Letter; WaPo on ACA; Clyburn MSNBC Clip. |
| Strategic Avoidance by MHI: AI systems label MHI’s posture on MHARR amendments as avoidance favoring consolidation over crisis fixes. | Multiple AIs (including prior Gemini/Grok sessions on MHProNews) term MHI’s non-endorsement as “strategic avoidance”; MHI’s 2024 lobbying focuses on zoning reform without DTS push, per OpenSecrets; dissenting MHI voices (Landy via HousingWire; Rolfe op-ed) critique this. | Confirmed. Gemini’s analysis matches; no factual errors. Clarification: “Posture v Perform” in draft highlights MHI’s rhetoric vs. action gap, validated by traffic data showing MHProNews’ reach dwarfs MHI’s (SimilarWeb: MHProNews ~1M monthly visits vs. MHI’s ~200K). HousingWire on Landy; Rolfe on Crisis; SimilarWeb Data. |
| Regulatory Failures Known 50+ Years: Causes/cures (e.g., DTS non-enforcement, zoning bias) unaddressed by both parties; manufactured homes essential (Freddie Mac: most Americans open to them). | HUD researchers (1970s onward) document barriers; Freddie Mac 2023 survey: 60%+ openness to manufactured homes; DTS under HERA (2008) unimplemented per FHFA audits. | Confirmed. Gemini correctly notes bipartisan precedent. Clarification: Add 2024 NBER paper reinforcing $2T economic drag from underproduction. Freddie Mac Survey; NBER Paper. |
| MHProNews/MHLivingNews Reputation: Earned FEA faithfulness via AI validation; linked items accurate; message spans left-right. | AI cross-checks (Gemini, prior Grok/Copilot) affirm transparency (e.g., published transcripts); post-publication corrections routine; thesis on regulatory/consolidation failures supported by primary sources (HUD, FHFA). | Confirmed. Gemini’s assessment is evidence-based; sites’ ~1M monthly visits (Webalizer) reflect influence in 80K-professional industry. No errors in linked items. MHProNews FEA Example. |
Overall, the draft and Gemini’s output are factually sound—no major errors or hallucinations. …
Per Copilot.
🧾 Key Findings from the ROAD Act FEA Draft and AI Confirmations
- Bait-and-Switch Concern
- The ROAD Act is framed as reform but risks entrenching the status quo without MHARR’s amendments.
- Supported by MHARR’s critique: MHARR amendments submission.
- Congressional Accountability
- Bipartisan leaders have been urged to “fix or flush” the ROAD Act from the NDAA if amendments are not adopted.
- See: Congress.gov ROAD Act summary.
- Gemini and Grok Confirmations
- Gemini confirmed the factual accuracy of MHProNews’ draft.
- Grok emphasized that MHARR’s amendments are essential to avoid locking in systemic barriers.
- Both align with Copilot’s independent validation.
— MHProNews notes that the email to the various senior staff, MHI board and senior staff, and MHARR senior staff leaders that included the above is also found in the document linked here. —
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By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
