A rare burst of bipartisan cooperation is about to land a win on President Trump's desk, and it's one that hits working families where it matters most: the cost of putting a roof over their heads.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act has been agreed upon by both chambers of Congress and is poised to head to the White House, capping months of back-and-forth between the House and Senate, the Washington Examiner reported. The legislation leans on a simple, common-sense idea conservatives have championed for years: cut the government red tape strangling construction, let the market build more homes, and prices come down.
Less Washington, More Homes
Government regulation now accounts for roughly 26.4% of the price of a new home, according to the Washington Times. The bill goes after that burden directly, streamlining environmental reviews under NEPA for housing projects, supporting the conversion of vacant commercial buildings into apartments, and authorizing a multi-year innovation fund for communities that actually deliver more supply.
It also clears the way for cheaper, faster-to-build manufactured housing by eliminating the outdated permanent-chassis requirement and raising FHA loan limits, per a breakdown from the Bipartisan Policy Center. On top of that, the measure gives community banks regulatory relief to expand lending and overhauls the Agriculture Department's Rural Housing Service to preserve an estimated 400,000 rural apartments and homes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the bill "cuts unnecessary red tape that's delaying construction and driving up prices."
Blocking the Wall Street Land Grab
The package also tackles a grievance shared across the political spectrum: deep-pocketed investment firms outbidding ordinary buyers for single-family homes. Under the bill, companies that already control at least 350 single-family homes would be barred from buying more, and investor-purchased rentals must be offered to individual homeowners after seven years.
It's a populist provision that drew support from both parties, as NPR noted, reflecting the Trump-era priority of putting American families ahead of corporate giants.
A Genuinely Bipartisan Effort
The legislation was driven by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who released the combined framework earlier this year, per the Bipartisan Policy Center. The final product merged the House-passed Housing for the 21st Century Act with the Senate's own ROAD to Housing measure.
The earlier chamber votes underscore just how broad the coalition was. The Senate approved its version 89-10, and the House passed its amended bill 396-13, according to House Financial Services Committee records. Lopsided margins like those are nearly unheard of in today's Washington.
The White House has signaled support for the package, and Trump is expected to sign it into law. For an administration that ran on lowering the cost of living and getting Washington out of the way, it's a tangible deliverable: a deregulatory, supply-side housing reform that proves the president's agenda can still pull both parties along when the policy is right. For millions of Americans priced out of the housing market, relief may finally be on the way.
