House Passes Bipartisan Housing Bill Targeting Corporate Homebuyers

The House handed Republicans and President Donald J. Trump a major bipartisan victory Wednesday, overwhelmingly passing a housing bill aimed at expanding homeownership, lowering costs, and restricting large institutional investors from crowding American families out of the single-family home market.

The amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed in a 396-13 vote, sending the measure to the Senate and giving Republicans a potential cost-of-living win as voters continue to rank housing affordability among their top economic concerns.

House leaders presented the legislation as a serious response to a crisis affecting families across the country, from first-time buyers struggling with high mortgage rates to working parents trying to compete against corporate investors with deep pockets.

Speaker Mike Johnson said the issue affects nearly every household.

“Increased housing costs and lack of quality supply are two issues that impact nearly every American family,” Johnson said.

He described the measure as a “strong bipartisan package that will put more American families into homes.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also framed the bill as a practical step toward easing pressure on families.

“This is something that every American in this country is going to be happy to see, to have lower housing costs,” Scalise said.

A key part of the House bill targets large institutional investors, a growing concern among voters who believe corporate buyers have made it harder for regular Americans to purchase homes.

The legislation keeps a ban on large corporate investors purchasing newly built single-family homes, a policy priority backed by the Trump administration.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill said the bill fits directly with President Trump’s housing agenda.

“This bill prioritizes American families by expanding homeownership, enhancing affordability, reducing burdensome regulations that drive up costs, and increasing housing supply nationwide,” Hill said.

“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.”

The White House also signaled support for the House version.

“The White House supports the House’s housing bill thanks to the changes that were made,” the official said.

The House, however, declined to keep a more aggressive Senate-backed provision that would have forced large institutional landlords already holding single-family rental homes to sell them off within seven years.

That measure had support from progressives, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but House lawmakers chose a narrower approach. Instead of forcing a major selloff that could disrupt rental markets and renters, the House version focuses on limiting future purchases by large corporate buyers.

The politics behind the move appear strong. A recent survey found that seven in ten voters support banning major investors who own more than 350 homes from buying additional residential properties.

Despite the overwhelming bipartisan support, a small group of conservatives opposed the package. The 13 Republican “no” votes came mostly from Freedom Caucus-aligned lawmakers who objected not to the housing provisions, but to language involving central bank digital currencies.

Rep. Warren Davidson said the bill’s temporary ban on a government-backed digital currency did not go far enough.

“A temporary ban is the worst of both worlds: political cover today, a clear runway tomorrow,” Davidson wrote.

“Make it permanent, or take it out.”

The provision blocks a government-backed digital currency through 2030, but some conservatives argue that anything short of a permanent ban leaves the door open for future federal overreach.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where its future is less certain.

Because the House amended the Senate’s earlier version instead of passing it unchanged, senators must decide whether to accept the changes, negotiate further, or allow the package to stall.

The biggest fight may center on the House’s decision to remove the forced-sale requirement for institutional landlords. The legislation also faces the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, which remains a major hurdle for any bipartisan package.

Still, the massive House vote gives the bill real momentum.

For Republicans, the political message is clear. President Trump and GOP lawmakers are positioning themselves as defenders of American families against corporate buyers, high costs, excessive regulation, and a housing market increasingly out of reach for working and middle-class citizens.

For Democrats, opposing a bill aimed at helping families compete for homes could be politically risky, especially as voters continue to struggle with high mortgage rates, limited inventory, and competition from institutional investors.

Whether the Senate moves quickly or buries the bill in procedural delays could determine whether Congress delivers a real housing win before voters head to the polls.