Washington, D.C. – Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, introduced the Access to Credit for Our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act with Congressmen Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04) and Don Davis (D-NC-01). This legislation would benefit American families, farmers, and rural communities nationwide by making loans more accessible and affordable.
“Rural East Texas families and farmers are concerned about the high cost of living, and they need affordable interest rates in order to access home and agricultural loans,” said Congressman Moran. “The ACRE Act will help to ensure opportunity for those in rural America and give rural lenders the support to continue driving economic growth for our main streets and local communities – all without adding new government programs or funding. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to support rural communities in East Texas and across the nation.”
“ABA applauds today’s introduction of the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy Act of 2025, and we thank the bill’s lead sponsors Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Senator Angus King (I-ME), Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), Rep. Don Davis (D-NC-01) and Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01) for their leadership on this issue,” said Rob Nichols, President and CEO of the American Bankers Association. “The bipartisan ACRE Act will deliver much-needed financial support to farmers and ranchers working through a difficult economic cycle by lowering the cost of credit without creating new government payments or programs. It would also drive down the cost of homeownership and increase access to credit in more than 17,000 rural communities across the country. We urge all members of Congress to support this critically important legislation.”
Specifically, the ACRE Act would amend the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code to level the playing field for community banks to administer agricultural real estate loans by granting them tax-exempt status on earned interest. This same exemption already applies to farm credit institutions.
This exemption would also apply to single-family home mortgage loans in rural communities with fewer than 2,500 residents and for mortgages less than $750,000.
According to the American Bankers Association, this legislation would expand access to affordable agricultural and home loans to more than 17,000 rural communities nationwide.
