The House of Representatives has passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act in a decisive 390–9 vote, advancing a bipartisan effort to address housing affordability and supply shortages across the country. The legislation, co-sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-AR) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Lawmakers described the bill as a targeted response to rising home prices and rents, which many attribute to limited housing supply and regulatory barriers that slow development. Rather than creating new subsidy programs, the measure focuses on modernizing existing federal housing policies and reducing obstacles that supporters say make building new homes more expensive and time-consuming.
Key provisions direct the Government Accountability Office to identify inefficiencies in federal housing programs and update the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The bill also aims to reduce regulatory burdens and provide banks with greater flexibility to deploy capital toward housing development.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the legislation is part of a broader strategy to tackle affordability challenges by expanding supply and cutting red tape. Supporters argue that when there are not enough homes to meet demand, prices inevitably rise, and removing barriers to development is essential to stabilizing costs.
The overwhelming vote margin reflects rare bipartisan consensus in a divided Congress. The bill’s fate now rests with the Senate, where lawmakers have also expressed interest in supply-focused housing reforms. If enacted, it would mark one of the most significant bipartisan housing reform efforts in recent years.
