S 5298: Delivering Americans Affordable Homes Act

S 5298 in plain English: This bill would require the U.S. Postal Service to make its owned land and properties available for affordable housing development. The Postal Service owns roughly 8,500 parcels of land and reported a net loss of $9,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2025; the bill aims to use property sales and leases to support housing. It directs proceeds and federal funding toward implementing the program.

Stated purpose

The bill aims to allow the U.S. Postal Service to lease its land to state, local, and tribal governments and their development partners for housing construction, in order to help address the national housing shortage and generate revenue for the financially struggling Postal Service.

Key points

• Requires the Postal Service to make its roughly 8,500 owned parcels available for affordable housing development
• Directs the Postal Service to reserve the next $10,000,000 it receives from property sales after the bill's enactment
• Authorizes $10,000,000 per fiscal year from 2027 through 2031 to carry out the act
• Allows the Postal Service to reserve up to $10,000,000 per year from lease agreements, adjusted annually for inflation

Arguments supporters make

• The federal government already owns thousands of parcels across the country, so using that existing land for housing is a practical, low-cost way to add new homes without buying new property.
• Leasing land to housing developers could generate steady revenue for the Postal Service, helping it reduce its multi-billion dollar annual losses without raising postage prices or cutting services.
• Requiring that at least 80 percent of each project be residential keeps the focus on genuine housing production rather than commercial development dressed up as a housing bill.

Arguments opponents make

• Leasing rather than selling USPS land may produce less immediate revenue and could tie up valuable properties in long-term deals that limit the Postal Service's future flexibility to use or sell those assets.
• The bill does not require that any of the new housing be affordable to low- or moderate-income renters, so the new units could end up serving higher-income residents and doing little for those most burdened by housing costs.
• Creating a new Housing Liaison Office inside the Postal Service adds bureaucratic complexity to an agency already under financial strain, and there is no guarantee the office will move fast enough to make a meaningful dent in the housing shortage.

Tradeoffs

Leasing USPS land could produce new housing and new revenue, but it requires the Postal Service to share or give up control of property it might otherwise sell outright for a larger one-time payment or retain for its own operational needs. The bill also balances federal action on a national problem against leaving housing decisions largely to local governments and their chosen private partners, which may produce uneven results across communities.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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