Young Americans can’t afford the future Washington won’t build

Young Americans don’t need another lecture about how to live more cheaply. They need an economy capable of producing more of what they need. Electricity bills are climbing. Buying a first home can seem impossibly distant. Even young professionals with decent salaries delay moving out, building savings, and starting families. Several forces drive those costs, but one is hiding in plain sight: America has made it extraordinarily difficult to build.

As Congress returns following the midterms, lawmakers have an opening. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, introduced in September by senators from both parties, would speed federal reviews of energy and infrastructure projects. It is an early test of whether affordability is a governing principle or another political slogan.

Environmental protection and indefinite delay are not