The House of Representatives has passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act with an overwhelming 390–9 vote, advancing a bipartisan effort to address the nation’s growing housing affordability crisis. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration, reflecting widespread acknowledgment that rising housing costs and supply constraints are critical economic challenges affecting urban, suburban, and rural communities alike.
Co-sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-AK) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), the bill demonstrates rare bipartisan collaboration in a closely divided Congress. Lawmakers emphasized that the current housing shortage is compounded not only by demand but also by regulatory complexity, permitting delays, and outdated federal housing programs, necessitating structural reform rather than just expanded subsidies.
The bill adopts a supply-focused approach, aiming to streamline existing federal programs and reduce barriers to housing development. Key provisions include directing the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to identify inefficiencies across federal housing programs, modernizing the HUD HOME Investment Partnerships Program, easing regulatory hurdles, and giving banks greater flexibility to deploy capital to expand housing supply. Supporters argue that these steps will allow the market to respond more effectively to demand while keeping federal spending stable.
House leadership framed the legislation as a critical component of broader affordability efforts. Speaker Mike Johnson and other lawmakers highlighted that reducing red tape and updating HUD programs are essential for increasing housing supply. Hill and Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) emphasized that removing obstacles empowers local communities and financial institutions to act efficiently, helping to moderate rising prices and ensure housing accessibility.
Bipartisan cooperation was a defining feature of the bill. Hill’s market-based, regulatory reform perspective aligned with Waters’ support for tenant protections, signaling shared recognition that housing scarcity requires cross-party solutions. The near-unanimous House vote underscores the sense of urgency among lawmakers to act on an issue that touches nearly every American household, despite differing policy philosophies.
The bill now faces the Senate, where prospects appear promising given previous bipartisan collaboration on housing by figures such as Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). If enacted, the legislation would mark one of the most comprehensive recent efforts to reform federal housing programs, emphasizing regulatory modernization and efficiency over subsidies, with the goal of expanding housing supply, lowering costs, and creating a more responsive housing market.
