Federal policy issues
AIA’s Policy Platform highlights our top federal policy priorities and guides our advocacy work at the federal, state, and local levels. View our most recent Policy Platform and a summary of recent federal policy wins.
How we prioritize our policy issues
After every presidential election, AIA releases a new policy platform that guides our work for the next four years. The AIA Board of Directors uses this platform to set the policy direction for our federal agenda every two years. They incorporate AIA member feedback, surveys, and resolutions into this process.
Next, the board-level Government Advocacy Committee (GAC) provides more specifics and sets the policy prioritization based on current developments on Capitol Hill and within the administration. The GAC oversees the development of our Policy Platform, which the Board of Directors must approve prior to its release.
AIA Federal Relations is responsible for finding legislation and/or regulatory opportunities that would move our preferred policies forward. The team reports to the GAC on progress toward those policy objectives in monthly meetings.
Infrastructure
One of AIA's top advocacy priorities is infrastructure. Our federal infrastructure engagement campaign intersects with multiple AIA policy priorities, including climate action, resilience, affordable housing, and tax policy. AIA members and federal relations staff have been working hard to ensure that any federal infrastructure package includes funding for buildings.
After nine months of AIA advocacy (including direct meetings, action alerts, and letters to policymakers), AIA members secured an important bipartisan victory. In November 2021, President Biden signed into law a bipartisan infrastructure package that included investments for energy-efficient and resilient buildings along with more traditional set-asides for transportation infrastructure. This is a milestone for the building construction industry.
Why? The federal government confirming buildings as a critical piece of U.S. infrastructure for the first time within the federal statute sets a legislative precedent that buildings are infrastructure, which will be important to architects for generations to come.
Although previous attempts to pass a party-line reconciliation package failed in December 2021, negotiations resumed during the second session of the 117th Congress and culminated in President Biden signing The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 into law in August 2022. The package includes about $370 billion in energy and climate-related spending, making it the largest federal investment to combat climate change in history.
The Inflation Reduction Act reflects multiple AIA priorities, including investments in building energy codes, climate tax incentives, and energy-efficient affordable housing. This legislation is a meaningful step toward creating sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities for all. See a more detailed overview of the building sector investments in the legislation.
Other federal policy priorities
Climate action is an urgent priority for AIA. Buildings currently account for roughly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. That means that by addressing the carbon footprint of the nation's building stock, we can address almost half the problem. Architects have the design and technological expertise to bring emissions to zero, but limiting the effects of global warming is impossible without significant federal leadership. Our climate action campaign includes regulatory and legislative objectives to curb emissions, address embodied carbon, and transition to a zero-carbon future. Learn more:
- · Coalition recommendation letter to EPA re: Implementation framework for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GRRF) (May 12, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA DOE comments re: Technical assistance for latest and zero building energy code adoption (April 20, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA DOE comments re: Clean energy for new and existing federal buildings (March 20, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA FY 2024 energy and water priorities letter to relevant House and Senate appropriations committees (March 13, 2023) Read the letter
- · USGBC Coalition sign-on letter urging for FY 2024 ENERGY STAR funding (February 15, 2023) Read the letter
AIA stands firmly against any federal mandate on architectural design style. As exemplified in the General Services Administration's Design Excellence Program, the federal government should continue a style-neutral approach that focuses on community-centered decision-making, demonstrated architectural skill, and public input for community-based federal building projects. Learn more:
- · FY 2024 Department of Interior priorities letter to relevant House and Senate appropriations committees (March 8, 2023) Read the letter
Architecture firms lead a $1 trillion building construction industry in the United States, promoting commerce, job growth, and consumer confidence along the way. However, smart federal policies are needed to catalyze growth and address key economic inequities that are the result of race/gender discrimination or disparities. AIA strongly supports a future economy that includes business-friendly tax policies and equitable, environmentally conscious development. Learn more:
- · Coalition sign-on letter urging Section 199A permanence (May 18, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA memo re: The research & development tax credit and impacts on architecture firms (March 3, 2023) Read the memo
AIA has worked to identify, understand, and preserve existing buildings for over a century. AIA believes that historic preservation serves two critical purposes: the protection of cultural heritage in the historic built environment and the decarbonization of the building sector, leading to greater adaptive capacity and community resilience. For the first time in two decades, renovations outpace new construction for the majority of firms, according to the AIA/Deltek Architectural Billings Index. Rather than vacating or avoiding the use of outdated structures, architects believe that older buildings should be valued as climate assets that we cannot afford to squander. The AIA Headquarters Renewal is a case in point. Learn more:
- · Coalition sign-on letter urging for bipartisan Historic Preservation Fund reauthorization (June 23, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA and National Trust for Historic Preservation resource on building reuse (April 17, 2023) Read the paper
- · Coalition press release re: Reintroduction of the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (March 28, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA FY 2024 Interior, Environment, and related agencies letter to relevant House and Senate appropriations committees (March 8, 2023) Read the letter
- · Coalition sign-on letter urging for FY 2024 historic preservation funding (February 28, 2023) Read the letter
Affordable and equitable housing supply is inadequate to meet the demand in the United States today. It is a problem in both our cities and our rural communities. Architects have been working to solve these issues, but federal support is necessary. AIA calls on the federal government to remove policy barriers to affordable and equitable housing and for Congress to bolster the nation's affordable housing stock through substantial investment. Learn more:
- · AIA HUD and USDA comments re: Energy-efficiency standards (August 8, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA HUD comments re: Minimum property standards for building to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (May 22, 2023) Read the letter
- · Coalition sign-on letter supporting the reintroduction of the YIMBY Act (May 18, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA HUD comments re: The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule (April 6, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA FY 2024 housing priorities letter to relevant House and Senate appropriations committees (March 10, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA joint comment with the Chamber of Commerce re: HUD's CDBG-DR Program (February 21, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA joint comment with the ICC re: HUD's CDBG-DR Program (February 21, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA public comments re: HUD's CDBG-DR Program (February 17, 2023) Read the letter
The increasing destructiveness and frequency of natural disasters pose ever-greater risks to lives and property. Architects can lead the way in responding to, mitigating, and adapting to the grave risks of climate change by designing a built environment that can better withstand disasters. However, federal policymakers must incentivize these strategies on a national scale. AIA calls on Congress to expand architects' ability to enhance community resilience for natural-disaster risks. Learn more:
- · AIA FEMA comments re: The Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022 (July 25, 2023) Read the letter
- · BRAC Coalition FY 2024 Homeland Security appropriations request letter (May 13, 2023) Read the letter
- · AIA FY 2024 Resilience priorities letter to relevant House and Senate appropriations committees (March 10, 2023) Read the letter
According to the Federal Reserve, an estimated 46 million Americans owe approximately $1.75 trillion in student loan debts. A 2022 study commissioned by AIA found that 89% of AIA members under 35 reported taking out loans and that respondents owed an average of $53,200 in accumulated debt after graduation. For architecture students, the issue is compounded by lower starting salaries, longer professional credentialing processes, and higher student debt accrual than many of their peers. AIA is committed to increasing investments in STEAM and student debt relief to strengthen diverse and inclusive talent pathways into the profession. Additionally, nearly three-quarters of Americans consider healthy, safe, and welcoming schools a "must have." AIA and its Committee on Architecture for Education continue to advocate for legislation that holistically enhances modern pedagogy across the entire learning continuum. Learn more:
- · AIA Support Letter for School Infrastructure Modernization Legislation (July 20, 2023) Read the letter
Learn more about available student loan repayment and forgiveness plans
The federal advocacy archive
AIA's efforts and wins during the 117th Congress and 116th Congress.