House Finally Takes Stab At Fixing America’s Housing Crisis. But Will It Actually Do Anything?

The House overwhelmingly passed a housing affordability bill Wednesday that would limit major investors from purchasing single-family homes while allowing them to build additional family units.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed in a 396-13 vote, which aims to tackle the housing crisis by expanding loans to build housing, curbing Wall Street’s ownership of single-family homes, pushing local governments to loosen permitting rules and expanding manufactured housing, the House Financial Services Committee reported. The measure is an amended version of the Senate’s bill that passed in March.

The legislation removed a requirement in the Senate-passed bill that would have forced major investors to sell any units they build beyond the cap within a seven-year window. An investor is defined in the bill’s text as owning at least 350 units.

It is unclear whether the amended bill will pass the Senate, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday that the chamber will “deal with it accordingly,” CNBC reported. Some senators continued to support their version of the bill since it targeted investors who build homes with the intention of renting.

Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno said the House “gutted” President Donald Trump’s main priority of ensuring that young people can access single-family homes, according to CNBC.

Speaker Mike Johnson urged the Senate to “swiftly” pass the bill, according to the Financial Services Committee’s press release.

“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is transformational legislation that will immediately address the housing affordability problem and bring the American Dream back within reach for millions of young and working American families,” Johnson said. “This bill delivers on our promise to reduce restrictive regulations, increase the housing supply, limit institutional investing in the housing market, and drive down the price of homes nationwide.”

“Chairman [French] Hill, Ranking Member [Maxine] Waters, and the entire House Financial Services Committee did exceptional work to achieve a bipartisan product that delivers the housing policy President Trump has called for and that voters demand,” the speaker added. “We are grateful that a strong, bipartisan majority of the House voted to pass this legislation today, and we urge the Senate to swiftly do the same.”

Prices skyrocketed to their highest levels since May 2023, and U.S. gas prices have rose more than 50% since the beginning of the Iran war.