The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday overwhelmingly passed a sweeping bipartisan housing package aimed at addressing a range of issues in the nation’s housing market, including affordability, supply constraints, and federal regulatory barriers.
The measure, dubbed the 21st Century Act, cleared the chamber with strong support from both Republicans and Democrats on a vote of 390-9.
The legislation includes provisions designed to encourage housing construction, reduce costs for homebuyers and renters, and provide incentives for local governments to ease zoning restrictions that have been identified as obstacles to expanding housing supply. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle characterized the bill as a major step toward tackling long-standing challenges in the housing sector.
Supporters said the package would help lower housing costs by increasing the availability of homes and apartments, especially in high-demand urban and suburban markets where supply has lagged behind job and population growth. They also pointed to targeted tax incentives and federal grants included in the plan that are intended to spur development in areas with acute shortages.
“When there aren’t enough homes, prices go up. 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. That’s how we expand supply, lower costs and give families more options,” Hill, along with Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), wrote in an op-ed for The Hill last week.
Opposition to the bill was limited but focused on concerns over federal overreach and the potential fiscal impact of some of its programs. Some conservative critics said certain elements of the package could lead to increased federal spending without guarantees of meaningful results, while some progressives argued the bill did not go far enough to protect renters and low-income households.
The package now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to debate its provisions in the coming weeks. Passage in the Senate would position the measure for delivery to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.
Housing affordability has emerged as a central issue for voters in recent election cycles, with skyrocketing rents and home prices putting pressure on household budgets across the country. Lawmakers said the bipartisan nature of the legislation reflects broad agreement on the need for federal action, even as partisan divisions persist on other policy fronts.
Over 50 groups have endorsed Hill’s bill, including the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Americans for Prosperity, and others, according to a press release.
The nine lawmakers who voted against the bill were Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas), The Hill noted.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) applauded the bill’s passage in a statement.
“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 and limited our ability to expand it,” Johnson said.
“Today’s House passage of the Housing for the 21st Century Act is a critical step toward addressing this shortage by reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers, modernizing HUD programs, and giving banks flexibility to deploy capital to increase our housing supply,” he added, per The Hill.
Last month following the congressional holiday break, Johnson announced that House Republicans were going to “hit the ground running” to codify into law up to 150 of President Trump’s executive orders.
“You’re going to see an aggressive affordability agenda, and we’re going to see continued codification of the President’s executive orders. A very aggressive legislative agenda coming right out of the gates in January. We’re going to continue to work, for example, on health care to continue to bring costs down for the American people, to bring down the cost of living overall,” Johnson declared.