Jump to content

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act to increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes.
Legislative history

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a proposed United States federal statute to expand housing.

Legislative history

[edit]

In July 2025, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs began a markup on the ROAD to Housing Act.[1] The act advanced through the committee[2] in a 24–0 vote[3] on July 29.[3] South Carolina senator Tim Scott, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, introduced the bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. In September, nearly thirty housing organizations signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to bring the ROAD to Housing Act before a Senate vote.[4] The Senate unanimously voted to pass the bill on October 9.[3] The Trump administration encouraged Republicans to resolve housing affordability and supported an effort to include the ROAD to Housing Act in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.[5] As Republicans in the House of Representatives sought their own housing legislation, the act was excluded from the defense bill.[6]

In December 2025, the House Committee on Financial Services and its Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance introduced the Housing for the 21st Century Act.[7] According to Florida representative Mike Haridopolos, some House Republicans were concerned that the ROAD to Housing Act would lead to further spending and impose additional regulations.[8] The committee voted to advance the Housing for the 21st Century Act on December 17.[9] By February 2026, House leadership had considered expediting the bill by suspending the chamber's rules.[10] The House of Representatives voted to approve the bill in a 390–9 vote on February 9, setting a dispute between the Senate's ROAD to Housing Act and the House's Housing for the 21st Century Act.[11] According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration sought to include language in either bill banning investors from owning single-family homes, a measure that lawmakers resisted.[12] President Donald Trump called for barring large investors from operating single-family homes as rental properties, with an exception for build-to-rent communities; Senate Democrats countered with a proposal to end tax breaks on single-family rental homes for large investors.[13]

In a procedural vote on March 2, 2026, the Senate advanced the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bill that combined the ROAD to Housing Act and the Housing for the 21st Century Act with the Trump administration's effort to limit large investors from purchasing single-family homes, in an 84–6 vote. The bill would additionally prevent the Federal Reserve from establishing a central bank digital currency for four years.[14] The Senate voted to advance the bill in an 89–9–1 vote, the third procedural vote, on March 10.[15] The following day, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson indicated that the bill had several problems at a House Republican retreat in Florida; Johnson noted that some House Republicans objected to its language prohibiting the establishment of a central bank digital currency and preventing large investors from purchasing single-family homes, believing that the Senate had tempered those provisions.[16] On March 12, the Senate voted to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in an 89–10 vote.[17]

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act continued to experience challenges after its passage in the Senate with amendments.[17] In May 2026, Politico reported that Trump had nearly published a social media post criticizing the bill over a provision requiring landlords to sell build-to-rent homes after seven years; the language had garnered criticism from some Republicans and Democrats in the House. Trump agreed not to intervene while his staff sought to negotiate with Republicans on the House Committee on Financial Services. Thune told Politico that the Trump administration would "have to really probably take some work to get the action in the House". The committee's chairman, Arkansas representative French Hill, and its ranking member, California representative Maxine Waters, had developed an amended housing bill by May. House Republicans considered presenting the bill to the chamber in an expedited suspension vote, and additionally examined adding certain provisions to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027.[18] The draft text of amended bill from House Republicans would narrow the definition of a single-family home and would remove the build-to-rent provision.[19]

Trump entered the dispute between the House and Senate's housing legislation in a post on Truth Social in May, stating that Congress should pass the Senate's 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.[20] Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated that they would continue attempting to amend the bill regardless.[21] Seeking an affordability victory in the 2026 elections, the Trump administration directed prominent individuals in the MAGA movement to encourage the House to pass the Senate bill outright, including the political activist Jack Posobiec; Oren Cass, the chief economist of American Compass; and Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.[22] The House released the final text of its bill on May 13. The bill would retain restrictions on large investors purchasing single-family homes, but would revise the meaning of a single-family home to exclude manufactured and renovated-for-sale homes.[23] The Trump administration stated that the bill had "serious policy concerns or implementation challenges"[24] and pressured House Republicans to support the Senate bill.[25] According to Politico, Schumer was willing to support the House bill.[26]

In another post on Truth Social in May, Trump urged Congress to link the SAVE America Act to the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and to a reauthorization bill for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.[27] House Republicans did not add the SAVE America Act to the housing bill; one official told Politico that the House had already passed the SAVE America Act and that it was the Senate's responsibility to pass the bill separately.[28] Johnson and Trump reached an agreement on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on May 19.[29] The House's changes led Trump to support the measure, according to The New York Times. The following day, the House of Representatives passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with amendments in a 396–13 vote, sending it back to the Senate. The Trump administration issued a statement saying that it supported the bill, asking the House and Senate to "resolve any remaining differences expeditiously".[30]

On June 24th, Trump abruptly announced he would refuse to sign the bill, arguing that passing the SAVE America Act is a "national emergency" and should take precedence. Speaker Johnson supported his refusal to sign the bill, while also saying that Trump would sign it within the 10 days before it automatically becomes law. Other Republican Congressmembers criticized Trump's decision.[31]

Impact

[edit]

According to The New York Times, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the most significant housing bill since the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act in 1990.[17] Prior to its passage, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act had significant implications for the build-to-rent industry. The developer TerraLane Communities paused construction on housing communities in Arizona and Texas in response to the bill.[32] In May 2026, Bill Owens, the chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, stated that a revised bill would improve home builder sentiment.[33]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Wolak, Sarah (July 25, 2025). "Scott, Warren announce bipartisan housing bill markup". HousingWire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  2. ^ Furlan Nunes, Flávia (July 29, 2025). "Senate Banking Committee advances bipartisan 'ROAD to Housing Act'". HousingWire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Wolak, Sarah (October 10, 2025). "Senate passes ROAD to Housing Act to boost housing supply". HousingWire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  4. ^ Wolak, Sarah (September 4, 2025). "28 housing groups urge Senate to advance ROAD to Housing Act". HousingWire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  5. ^ Goodman, Jasper (December 3, 2025). "White House backing push to attach Senate housing package to must-pass defense bill". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  6. ^ Furlan Nunes, Flávia (December 8, 2025). "ROAD to Housing Act dropped from NDAA, sparking trade group response". HousingWire. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  7. ^ Delozier, Jonathan; Furlan Nunes, Flávia (December 12, 2025). "U.S. House unveils Housing for the 21st Century Act". HousingWire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  8. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (January 20, 2026). "The long and winding road to housing legislation". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  9. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (December 17, 2025). "House Financial Services advances housing package, community banking bills". Politico Pro. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  10. ^ Hapgood, Katherine; Lee Hill, Meredith (February 2, 2026). "House Republicans eye next week for housing bill vote". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  11. ^ Dumay, Cassandra (February 9, 2026). "House approves housing bill, setting stage for tough Senate negotiations". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  12. ^ Picciotto, Rebecca (February 9, 2026). "Proposed Ban on Investors in the Housing Market Hits a Wall in Congress". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  13. ^ Goldstein, Matthew (February 24, 2026). "Democrats Counter Trump With Their Own Plan to Limit Wall Street Landlords". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  14. ^ Hapgood, Katherine; Goodman, Jasper (March 2, 2026). "Senate forges ahead on housing package, with Wall Street crackdown included". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  15. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (March 10, 2026). "Senate tees up bipartisan housing package for final passage". Politico. Archived from the original on March 12, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  16. ^ Lee Hill, Meredith; Hapgood, Katherine (March 11, 2026). "Mike Johnson tells House Republicans housing bill could go to conference amid fight with Senate". Politico. Archived from the original on March 12, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  17. ^ a b c Kaysen, Ronda (March 12, 2026). "Senate Resoundingly Passes Housing Bill, but Challenges Lie Ahead". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  18. ^ Guida, Victoria; Messerly, Megan; Goodman, Jasper; Hapgood, Katherine (May 4, 2026). "Trump privately raises objection to Senate housing bill". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  19. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (May 9, 2026). "House's draft housing bill text rolls back Senate efforts to limit Wall Street". Politico Pro. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  20. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (May 11, 2026). "Trump calls on Congress to pass Senate's housing bill". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  21. ^ Lee Hill, Meredith; Hapgood, Katherine (May 12, 2026). "House Republicans press ahead on reworking Senate housing package". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  22. ^ Messerly, Megan (May 13, 2026). "MAGA world is giving the House GOP cover on Trump's housing push". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  23. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (May 13, 2026). "House releases amended housing bill text, schedules vote for next week". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  24. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (May 14, 2026). "White House, Senate skeptical about House's amended housing bill". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  25. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (May 15, 2026). "White House amps up pressure on House Republicans to support Senate housing bill". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  26. ^ Hapgood, Katherine (May 18, 2026). "Schumer keeps options open on housing bill as cross-chamber tensions rise". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  27. ^ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (May 16, 2026). "Trump pushes to attach his SAVE act to must-pass bipartisan bills". Politico. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  28. ^ Lee Hill, Meredith (May 18, 2026). "House GOP leaders plan housing bill vote despite Trump ultimatum". Politico. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  29. ^ Hapgood, Katherine; Lee Hill, Meredith (May 19, 2026). "Johnson, Trump, White House reach compromise on housing bill". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  30. ^ Kaysen, Ronda (May 20, 2026). "House Passes Housing Bill, Uniting on a Measure to Bring Down Costs". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  31. ^ "Trump cancels plan to sign major housing bill as he fights with Congress over the SAVE Act". NBC News. June 24, 2026. Archived from the original on June 24, 2026. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  32. ^ Picciotto, Rebecca (April 27, 2026). "A Bill Aimed at Creating Homes Is Leaving Plots Empty Instead". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  33. ^ Coacci, Jessica (May 18, 2026). "U.S. Home Builder Sentiment Improved in May But Affordability Challenges Persist". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=21st_Century_ROAD_to_Housing_Act&oldid=1360983074"