The U.S. House of Representatives passed the amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, as lawmakers showed a rare sign of bipartisanship.
By a vote of 396 to 13, the House passed major reforms that will increase the supply of homes, cut down on unnecessary rules, and make it easier for American families to become homeowners.
The bill brings together parts of earlier House and Senate bills to deal with the lack of homes across the country, which has caused prices and rents to reach all-time highs.
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Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Republican French Hill (Ark.), praised the bill as a practical solution that focused on results rather than unnecessary regulations.
“This bill prioritizes American families by expanding homeownership, enhancing affordability, reducing burdensome regulations that drive up costs, and increasing housing supply nationwide,” Chairman Hill stated.
“Importantly, it delivers on President Trump’s call to limit institutional investors from competing with the American people as they seek to purchase a home,” Hill added.
Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) highlighted the urgency of the housing crisis.
“America is in the middle of a full-blown affordable housing and homelessness crisis, and working families are burdened by skyrocketing rents and a housing market that is pushing homeownership further out of reach,” Waters said.
The bill streamlines federal permitting processes, exempts certain infill and redevelopment projects from lengthy environmental reviews under NEPA, and promotes innovative housing options like modular and manufactured homes.
It provides grants to local governments for planning and zoning reforms that encourage more construction, raises loan limits for multifamily housing to spur apartment development, and strengthens support for rural and veteran housing programs.
Additional measures modernize financing for small-dollar mortgages and enhance community bank involvement in lending.
It also includes targeted restrictions on large institutional investors acquiring single-family homes — aligning with Trump administration priorities to keep properties available for families rather than corporate portfolios.
