IN THIS UPDATE:
- On the Hill: What the 21st Century ROAD to Housing law means for the abundance movement, the energy legislation we're watching, and our convening on permitting reform with the Breakthrough Institute and Institute for Progress.
- Out and About: A child care conversation with Melinda French Gates, making the case for abundance with Rep. Ritchie Torres, and an appropriations training with the American Governance Institute.
- Coming up: A NextGen happy hour for early- and mid-career staff working on state capacity and government effectiveness.
- Abundance Job Openings: 6 new roles across the ecosystem.
- What We're Reading.
ON THE HILL
First things first: the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the biggest housing bill in 30 years, is now law, and it is a major win for the abundance movement.
Our President, Derek Kaufman, laid out three takeaways from it for The Abundant Future:
- Bipartisan doesn't have to mean small. Instead of shrinking to the lowest common denominator or nothingburgers, ROAD pulled the biggest ideas from both parties and both chambers and won members over one by one. The ambition kept compounding like a snowball rolling downhill.
- Almost everyone now agrees building more lowers prices. As Derek told Slow Boring, the whole housing debate has shifted, from "how do we help families afford homes that cost too much" to "why do homes cost so much in the first place." A few years ago that was a fringe view confined to YIMBY spaces — now it has bipartisan and bicameral support.
- No matter what the commentators say, abundance isn't dead. Abundance ideas are being taken up by Democrats throughout the coalition, including progressives. Our goal was never to be some centrist rallying flag but a framework used by everyone — and by that measure, we're winning.
And the changes are as concrete as they are historic. As Emily Peck reported for Axios, one of the law's most consequential pieces is deceptively simple: manufactured homes no longer have to keep the permanent steel chassis used to transport them. That one change could save builders thousands per home and open the door to sturdier, more flexible designs.
We toasted the new law on the Arlo rooftop with the coalition partners who helped make it happen — Arnold Ventures, Center for Public Enterprise, Institute for Progress, Niskanen Center, Up for Growth, and YIMBY Action.
The same supply-side logic is gaining ground in energy, too.
Electricity demand in the U.S. is soaring to record highs, and faster permitting is key to meeting that need. This past month brought federal progress on that front.
On nuclear, two bipartisan bills that make it faster to build the next generation of reactors — without cutting corners on safety — advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy by voice vote. The Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act ends the automatic NRC hearing on every reactor application when no one objects, while protecting the public's right to request one. The Nuclear REFUEL Act lets facilities that recycle spent fuel into new reactor fuel use a faster, better-fitting permit track. Both target a licensing process that's long been a bottleneck.
We're also closely watching geothermal's momentum in Congress. In July, the Senate Energy Committee advanced the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, which would create a permitting task force and speed up environmental reviews so we can build more power. Read Derek's statement from June, when the House first passed the bill. Meanwhile, a separate measure, the Next-Generation Geothermal R&D Act, cleared the House by voice vote.
OUT AND ABOUT
What does child care abundance look like and how do we get there? In mid-July, we had the pleasure of hosting a conversation with Melinda French Gates on how we expand supply, lower costs, and give every family real access to care.
Thank you to Shelley Waters Boots, Rep. Nikki Budzinski, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, Rep. Erin Houchin, Rep. Blake Moore, Rep. Josh Harder, and Josh McCabe for an inspiring discussion. More to come!
We brought abundance to the New Liberal Action Summit.
At our panel, hosted by the Center for New Liberalism, Rep. Ritchie Torres told our Head of Government and External Affairs, Baillee Brown, that the scarcity we live with is a choice, and that we can choose differently. A few of our favorite lines from Rep. Torres:
- "Scarcity in our society, whether it's housing, higher education, or healthcare, is not a natural condition. These are products of public policy."
- "Abundance has given me a language and a framework for what has gone wrong and how we can fix it."
- "What is the point of greater subsidies if there's no supply to subsidize?"
- "[Abundance] is a philosophy of yes. Yes to more housing, yes to more energy, yes to more infrastructure. Yes, we can build and deliver for the American people."
Back in June, we teamed up with the American Governance Institute for a virtual appropriations training led by Daniel Schuman, AGI's Executive Director.
Daniel walked through the nuts and bolts of the appropriations process, building on the Appropriations Playbook that AGI, the Foundation for American Innovation, and Inclusive Abundance published earlier this year. You can watch the recording here (passcode: &ka#P1j0) and read the full Appropriations Playbook here.
COMING UP
NextGen State Capacity Happy Hour
Join us Wednesday, August 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in DC for a relaxed evening with early- and mid-career folks working on government effectiveness. Space is limited, so RSVP here or pass it along to anyone who works on or cares about state capacity reform.
ABUNDANCE JOB OPENINGS
As momentum around abundance grows, we're spotlighting open roles across the ecosystem. If you know someone who wants to work on abundance, forward them this newsletter. To feature a role in the next issue, email lindsey@inclusiveabundance.org.
- R Street Institute: Policy Director, Finance and Insurance | Remote | $190,000 – $200,000
- Up for Growth: Director, Policy & Advocacy | DC | $165,000+
- Arnold Ventures: Director, Infrastructure | DC | $150,000 – $200,000
- Bipartisan Policy Center: Director, Housing | DC | $145,000 – $155,000
- Roots of Progress: Head of Communications | Remote
- Volcker Alliance: Program Assistant | NYC | $66,500 – $75,000
WHAT WE’RE READING
- Inclusive Abundance's own Jackson Gode on state capacity — what it is, why it's having a moment, and how to make government actually deliver
- Don Moynihan on how Mamdani is investing in tech capacity
- Jennifer Pahlka on North Carolina's bold move on civil service
- Jeremy Levine on why abundance is not "moderate" or "progressive"
This newsletter is a product of Inclusive Abundance Action, our 501(c)(4).