There is Still Work to Do
by REI INK
The Housing for the 21st Century Act aims to make a significant dent in the nation’s housing shortage through a comprehensive approach that addresses barriers at all levels of government.
The legislation was introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.), Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chair Mike Flood (R-Neb.), and Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). In December 2025, the full committee passed this legislation by a vote of 50–1, and it passed in the House of Representatives on February 9, 2026, by a vote of 390–9. The legislation is now in the Senate for consideration.
Addressing the Housing Supply Shortage
The bill targets several of the most persistent challenges facing the housing market: a nationwide shortage of homes, especially a critical shortage of affordable starter homes, rising construction costs, and regulatory hurdles that delay or discourage new housing development.
The Housing for the 21st Century Act addresses the housing shortage through a comprehensive approach: helping communities overcome zoning and regulatory barriers, streamlining environmental reviews that delay construction, modernizing legacy federal programs like HOME Investment Partnerships and the Community Development Block Grant Program, updating outdated manufactured housing rules, and removing duplicative requirements across federal programs. By addressing barriers at every level of government, the legislation will make it faster and cheaper to build new homes.
The passage of the bill by the House sets the stage for some political wrangling ahead. The Senate previously passed its own bipartisan legislation in October as part of a broader package before that legislation was stripped from the final bill. The body is now considering the stand-alone bill, the ROAD to Housing Act.
Overall, the two packages share meaningful similarities. Each includes policies that would streamline regulatory requirements to make it easier to build new housing, expand financing options, modernize existing housing programs, and enhance program oversight and coordination.
Ultimately, the two chambers must agree on a final version of a housing bill that President Donald Trump will also support.
Industry Support
The Housing for the 21st Century Act has received nearly unanimous support from the housing industry’s trade associations. To date, over 70 groups have endorsed the legislation.
Shannon McGahn, NAR executive vice president and chief advocacy officer is quoted as saying, “The National Association of REALTORS® applauds the House for passing the Housing for the 21st Century Act, a meaningful and bipartisan step toward addressing America’s housing affordability crisis. With the nation facing a shortage of roughly five million homes and first-time buyers now entering the market at a median age of 40, bold action to expand supply and remove barriers to homeownership has never been more urgent.”
David M. Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, said the House’s legislation marks an important step forward, even if it won’t magically fix a crisis that has developed over time and will be similarly resolved in time. “We got into this crisis one unit at a time, and we will get out of it the same way — one unit at a time — through a range of coordinated strategies that expand supply, reduce costs, and improve access to affordable homes,” Dworkin said in remarks celebrating the passage of the legislation.
The Home Depot also weighed in, stating, “The Home Depot commends policy-makers for recognizing the critical need and advancing a bipartisan, supply-focused approach to addressing the nation’s housing shortage. By reducing barriers that delay construction and modernizing federal housing policies, the Act helps pave the way for more homes to be built, creating more opportunities for skilled trades professionals. We’re proud to support this work as it helps expand access to safe, affordable housing for our customers and communities nationwide.”
Congress must still do significant work to achieve passage of comprehensive housing legislation, but the progress of the ROAD to Housing Act and the Housing for the 21st Century Act so far shows that housing affordability will be a top priority in Congress in 2026.
