Bill Green served in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight terms from February 14, 1978, until January 3, 1993. From 1981 on he served on the House Appropriations Committee and was Ranking Republican Member of its VA-HUD-Independent Agencies Subcommittee, which covered the VA, HUD, NASA, EPA, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and numerous smaller agencies. He also Served on the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee during 1991-92.

Green co-chaired the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing during 1991-92. Prior to his election to Congress he had been an attorney in private practice in New York City. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1965 to 1968 and as Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development covering New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands from 1970 to 1977.

Since Bill Green was defeated for reelection to the U.S. Congress following the 1992 redistricting, he has been active in the public and private sectors in housing, science policy, and political reform.