Senate passes landmark housing affordability bill after bipartisan breakthrough

Washington — The Senate passed a bill aimed at lowering housing costs on Monday after a major breakthrough and rare bipartisan consensus that comes as affordability remains top of mind for voters heading into the midterm elections.  

In an 85-5 vote, the Senate approved the legislation along wide bipartisan margins. It now heads to the House for approval. 

The bill, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, aims to increase housing supply and bring down costs, including by limiting institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes.

The Senate approved an earlier version of the package in March, before the House in May approved another version. Then last week, the Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees announced a bicameral agreement on the long-sought legislation.

The bill represents the most sweeping housing legislation in decades. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement that it was the result of “years of work to lower costs, expand housing supply, cut red tape, protect taxpayers, and help more Americans achieve the dream of homeownership.”

“Now it is time to move forward, get this bill across the finish line, and deliver real relief for the American people,” Scott said. 

Speaking from the Senate floor last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, outlined some of the bill’s more than 45 housing provisions. The legislation would remove some regulatory barriers and streamline environmental reviews to increase development of affordable housing; update chassis requirements for manufactured housing; create an innovation fund for communities increasing housing supply; and support housing opportunities for veterans, among other things. 

“There is so much in this bill,” Warren said. “Each piece, directing us toward increasing the supply of housing, bringing down the cost, and making housing something that is not just a Wall Street investment, but is actually there for American families.”

The White House has pushed for the provision limiting purchases of single-family homes by institutional investors, which proponents say would benefit homebuyers by cutting competition.

The legislation now heads to the House, which is returning from recess this week and is expected to move quickly.

GOP Rep. French Hill of Arkansas, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, touted the adoption of “key House priorities” in the final text of the bill in a statement last week, pointing to nine community banking bills and the language limiting institutional investors. 

“This bill is a meaningful step toward increasing housing supply, improving affordability, and helping more Americans achieve homeownership,” Hill said. “I look forward to President Trump signing it into law.”

Rep. Maxine Waters of California, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, also cheered the final agreement. She noted that while “no compromise is perfect, this legislation reflects meaningful progress.”

“This is an important step forward, not the final destination,” Waters said. “I look forward to continuing my work to lower housing costs, address homelessness, expand affordable housing, and ensure every family has access to a safe and stable place to call home.”

The bill’s progress marks a major and rare bipartisan achievement during an election year, and comes as Congress has been marred in recent months by gridlock and obstruction. But with the affordability issue’s continued salience for Americans, lawmakers are moving forward in bipartisan fashion as the midterm elections approach. 

When the Senate advanced the bill last week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune touted the legislation as “a significant bill to make life more affordable for hardworking Americans,” while adding that “it’s just the latest item on Republicans’ agenda to address the cost of living.”

“I look forward to getting this bill through Congress in short order, sending it to the president’s desk and delivering another major win for the American people,” the South Dakota Republican said. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bipartisan bill “shows Americans how we should govern,” while noting that “the fact that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together on the ROAD to Housing, at a time of such division, shows just how dire America’s housing crisis is today.”

“I’m pleased we’ve seized this opportunity to come up with a reasonable, bipartisan solution to help the American people — opportunities that have become few and far between thanks to the chaos coming out of the White House,” the New York Democrat added. “This is how Americans want Congress to govern.”