Congress Sends Landmark Housing Bill To Trump After Bipartisan Victory

A major housing affordability bill is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk after winning bipartisan approval in both chambers of Congress, marking one of the most significant federal housing reform efforts in decades.

The legislation, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, is designed to confront America’s housing shortage by increasing supply, cutting regulatory barriers, encouraging new forms of home construction, and expanding access to homeownership.

The House approved the bill Tuesday, one day after it cleared the Senate.

Trump has indicated that he plans to sign the measure into law.

The legislation comes as housing affordability remains one of the most serious economic problems facing American families. Rising home prices, elevated mortgage rates, limited inventory, and competition from large investors have pushed homeownership further out of reach for many younger families and first-time buyers.

Dennis Shea, executive vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Center for Housing Policy, praised the bill’s passage as a meaningful breakthrough.

“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passing both chambers is a milestone not just for housing policy, but for what’s possible when Congress works together,” Shea said.

“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.”

The bill drew support from both Republicans and Democrats, reflecting widespread concern over the national housing crunch.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation begins addressing the shortage that has driven housing costs higher across the country.

“ROAD to Housing helps put our country on the right track toward fixing the housing shortage that’s driving up costs,” Schumer said.

The legislation encourages local governments to streamline zoning and permitting rules, which many housing experts argue have slowed construction and driven up costs.

It also promotes manufactured and modular housing, supports converting underused office buildings into residential units, and limits large institutional investors from acquiring more single-family homes.

One of the bill’s most notable provisions bars large investment firms that already own 350 or more single-family homes from purchasing additional properties.

Supporters argue that major investors have made it harder for ordinary Americans to buy homes by competing directly with families in local markets.

That provision follows an executive order Trump signed earlier this year aimed at limiting Wall Street’s influence in the housing market.

The bill was spearheaded in the Senate by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, along with Reps. French Hill and Maxine Waters in the House.

Scott said high housing costs are forcing young Americans to delay major milestones that previous generations often took for granted.

“Young people today are delaying marriage, they’re delaying having kids, they’re delaying putting down roots,” Scott said on the Senate floor.

“Not because they lack ambition but because housing prices are too darn high and housing supply too low.”

The legislation also includes several measures aimed at reducing the cost of manufactured housing.

For decades, federal law has required manufactured homes to be built on permanent chassis systems equipped with wheels.

The new bill removes that requirement.

According to estimates from the Bipartisan Policy Center, eliminating the chassis mandate could lower the cost of a manufactured home by between $5,000 and $10,000.

Supporters say the change could expand affordable housing options while reducing unnecessary construction costs.

The legislation also directs regulators to ensure modular homes are not placed at a financing disadvantage compared with traditionally built houses.

Housing advocates have increasingly pointed to restrictive local zoning as one of the biggest barriers to new construction.

A 2025 Goldman Sachs report estimated that easing land-use restrictions could lead to an additional 2.5 million housing units over the next decade.

To push local reform, the bill creates incentives for communities that adopt housing-friendly policies, CNN reported.

Local governments that approve more housing projects could become eligible for additional federal support for schools, infrastructure, and public services.

For conservatives, the bill offers a market-oriented answer to a real affordability crisis: increase supply, cut red tape, limit Wall Street’s ability to crowd out families, and give builders more flexibility.

Rather than relying on more bureaucracy and endless subsidies, the legislation recognizes that America needs more homes, faster approvals, lower construction costs, and policies that put individual buyers ahead of institutional investors.

The housing crisis will not be solved overnight.

But the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act represents a serious step toward restoring the possibility of homeownership for millions of Americans who have been priced out by years of limited supply, high costs, and government-imposed barriers.