Housing We Send You the Bill: Fixing Minnesota’s Housing Crisis the Right Way ________________________________________ Minnesota faces a housing shortage approaching 100,000 units. This crisis was not created by working families, renters, or first-time homebuyers — yet they are the ones being asked to pay for it. That is backwards. For too long, the state’s response to housing shortages has been to raise taxes, increase fees, and pass costs onto a middle class already struggling with inflation, rent increases, and rising interest rates. That approach has reached its limit. My housing platform is built on a simple principle: when costs are created, the people responsible pay the bill — not the public. The End of the Tax-First Housing Model ________________________________________ Minnesotans did not cause zoning failures, regulatory delays, cost overruns, or fraud — but they are routinely billed for them. That ends here. We do not solve housing by taxing families harder. We solve it by changing who pays when the system fails. If mismanagement delays housing, we send you the bill. If fraud drains housing funds, we send you the bill. If inefficiency drives up construction costs, we send you the bill — not the taxpayer. Housing Is Infrastructure, and Failure Has a Price ________________________________________ Housing is not optional. It is core infrastructure. When housing shortages persist, the costs show up everywhere: homelessness increases, labor shortages worsen, healthcare and emergency services are strained, and families are forced out of their communities. Those costs are real — and someone is paying them. Under my administration, those costs will no longer be socialized onto the public while accountability disappears. Failure will have a bill attached to it. State-Owned Ventures: Building Housing Without Tax Hikes ________________________________________ Instead of billing taxpayers, Minnesota will generate revenue by participating directly in the market — and using those profits to build housing. The state will launch and manage revenue-generating ventures that operate with private-sector standards and public oversight. These ventures will exist for one reason: to pay the housing bill so Minnesotans don’t have to. This is how we move from a tax-dependent housing system to a self-sustained one. State-Owned Construction and Modular Innovation Lower Costs or Pay the Bill ________________________________________ Construction costs are one of the biggest drivers of housing unaffordability. Minnesota will operate high-efficiency construction ventures focused on modular, prefabricated, and smart-home building technologies. These ventures will reduce build times, limit waste, and drive down per-unit costs. If inefficiency inflates costs, it does not get passed on to renters or buyers. We send the bill to the system that failed. Profits generated will be reinvested directly into: •Down payment assistance for first-time buyers •Cost reduction for affordable rental developments •Faster delivery of housing units statewide Energy-to-Housing Revenue Pipeline Turning Resources Into Responsibility ________________________________________ Minnesota’s natural resources should reduce housing costs — not increase utility bills. The state will invest in renewable energy projects and sell power back to the grid at market rates. One hundred percent of profits will be directed into a permanent Minnesota Housing Fund. When energy generates profit, it pays for housing. When it doesn’t, taxpayers don’t get the bill. Ending Waste, Fraud, and the $9 Billion Drain If You Cost Housing, You Pay ________________________________________ You cannot fix housing while billions are lost to fraud, waste, and weak oversight. Minnesota will adopt audit-first housing governance: •Real-time oversight of housing funds •Aggressive recovery of misused dollars •Enforcement actions against negligence and abuse If fraud steals housing money, we send you the bill. If mismanagement stalls projects, we send you the bill. The public will no longer be the default payer. Accountability Is Not Optional in Housing ________________________________________ Every housing-related venture, fund, and agency will operate under public transparency standards. Minnesotans will be able to see: •How much housing revenue is generated •Where it is spent •How many units are built •Who is responsible when targets are missed If results aren’t delivered, accountability follows — with a bill attached. Renters, Homeowners, and Seniors All Deserve Protection ________________________________________ Housing policy should not pit renters against homeowners or young families against seniors. This platform ensures: •First-time buyers can build equity without inflated costs •Renters gain access to stable, affordable units •Seniors can age in place without being taxed out of their homes •Workers can live near the jobs they support When systems fail these groups, the system pays — not them. Why This Works ________________________________________ This model lowers housing costs by replacing tax hikes with market-generated revenue. It creates jobs in construction, energy, and technology. It enforces discipline by attaching financial consequences to failure. Other governments already do this successfully. Minnesota can do it better — because we will not tolerate failure without accountability. The Goal ________________________________________ Minnesotans should not be billed for a housing crisis they didn’t create. We build housing. We recover wasted dollars. We generate our own revenue. And when someone costs Minnesota homes through fraud, abuse, or incompetence — We send you the bill.