Bipartisan Housing Bill Sails Through House

Congress just sent a rare housing compromise to President Trump's desk, with strong support from both parties. The House on Tuesday approved the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in a 358–32 vote, a day after the Senate cleared it 85–5. Trump is expected to sign the bill Wednesday at the Capitol, per House Speaker Mike Johnson's office. Johnson called the measure a step toward "paving a path back to homeownership" by easing regulations on builders, targeting the housing affordability crunch, and curbing the role of big investors in the market, CNBC reports. CNN calls the bill "the most sweeping federal housing package in a generation."

The bill would streamline permitting to spur new construction and restrict institutional investors to owning no more than 350 single-family homes, a cap lawmakers say is aimed at keeping would-be homeowners from competing with large firms. It also removes a requirement for manufactured homes to have wheels, which could cut their cost by up to $10,000.

• The act "passing both chambers is a milestone not just for housing policy, but for what's possible when Congress works together," Dennis Shea, executive vice president for the Center for Housing Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, tells CNN. "For the families who've been priced out, squeezed out, or left behind by a broken housing market, this is a meaningful step—and it's long overdue."

Both parties are expected to campaign on the law heading into the 2026 midterms. Ahead of the vote, lawmakers from both parties noted the unusual level of bipartisanship, the AP reports. "In this polarized and angry Congress, we are actually getting something done," said Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut. Still, a small bloc of hard-right Republicans tried to slow it down in the House, demanding it be tied to the separate SAVE America Act, which would tighten voter ID and citizenship rules, reports CNBC. That election bill passed the House in February but is stalled in the Senate; Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida was among 32 Republicans who ultimately voted against the housing package.