The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a wide-ranging, bipartisan housing package on Monday, marking a major step toward addressing the nation’s growing affordability crisis and expanding access to homeownership for American families.
The legislation, known as the Housing for the 21st Century Act, cleared the House by a decisive 390–9 vote, underscoring rare bipartisan agreement on an issue that has increasingly strained household budgets nationwide. The bill is sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., and the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. It also sailed through committee consideration in December with broad support.
The package includes more than 20 provisions aimed at examining inefficiencies in federal housing policy and modernizing existing programs. Among its key components, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study gaps and shortcomings in federal housing initiatives and updates the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program, a long-standing federal tool intended to support affordable housing development.
Supporters say the legislation focuses on expanding supply rather than relying on heavy-handed mandates.
“When there aren’t enough homes, prices go up,” Hill wrote last week in an op-ed with Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb. “The Housing for the 21st Century Act includes real, bipartisan solutions to boost development by clearing out red tape and letting communities and local banks do their job.”
Hill and Flood argued that empowering local institutions and cutting unnecessary bureaucracy is the most effective way to increase housing supply, lower costs, and give families more choices.
With House approval secured, the bill now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to review and potentially revise the package. Senate interest in housing reform has been building. Last year, Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced their own bipartisan proposal, the ROAD to Housing Act. While Senate leaders attempted to attach parts of that bill to the National Defense Authorization Act in December, those provisions ultimately did not make it into the final legislation.
Hill has signaled openness to collaboration with the upper chamber, saying he looks forward to working with the Senate to deliver a final bill that reflects input from both sides of Capitol Hill and can be sent to the president’s desk.
The Housing for the 21st Century Act has drawn backing from more than 50 organizations across the housing, business, and policy landscape. Supporters include the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and Americans for Prosperity, highlighting the bill’s broad appeal beyond Washington.
Only nine lawmakers voted against the package: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Eli Crane of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom McClintock of California, Chip Roy of Texas, Ryan Zinke of Montana, and Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas.
House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the legislation’s passage, tying the housing crunch to rising costs under the Biden administration and excessive regulation.
“Housing costs have soared beyond the reach of millions of American families thanks to Bidenflation, while outdated and burdensome red tape has constrained our nation’s affordable housing supply,” Johnson said. He called the bill a critical step toward reducing regulatory barriers, modernizing HUD programs, and giving banks more flexibility to deploy capital and increase housing supply.
As the Senate takes up the measure, the House vote sends a clear message that lawmakers see housing affordability as a pressing issue — and that bipartisan solutions focused on supply and regulatory reform are gaining momentum.
