House Easily Passes Bipartisan Housing Reform Measure

In a rare example of broad cross-aisle cooperation in a deeply divided U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a major bipartisan housing reform package on February 9, 2026, signaling a renewed federal effort to address one of the most persistent economic challenges facing millions of Americans: the chronic shortage of affordable housing.

With a 390-9 vote, the chamber passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644), a sweeping legislative package designed to boost housing supply, streamline regulatory processes, modernize outdated federal housing programs, and tackle the stubbornly high costs of both ownership and rental housing across the country.

The enthusiasm in the House was palpable. Members from both sides of the aisle celebrated the legislation as a step toward alleviating housing bottlenecks that have driven up costs for families, young buyers, renters, and seniors. But what exactly does this bill entail, why is it significant, and how might it reshape America’s housing landscape? This article explores those questions, providing a comprehensive analysis of this bipartisan moment in federal housing policy.

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I. The Political Context: Why This Bill Matters

For years, housing affordability has been a top concern among economists, housing advocates, and everyday Americans. In many parts of the U.S., especially in urban and high-growth regions, home prices and rents have far outpaced income growth, leaving renters and buyers struggling to get ahead. The national housing supply — particularly affordable housing — has lagged as well. Limited construction, zoning barriers, red tape, and regulatory hurdles have all contributed to an undersupply that keeps prices high.

Part of the reason federal housing reform has been so elusive is political gridlock. Major legislative achievements require agreement in both chambers of Congress and, ultimately, the President’s signature. In recent years, major pieces of housing legislation have stalled despite bipartisan support in committees or single chambers. For example, the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act passed unanimously in the Senate and was included in the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act, only to be removed by the House late in 2025, postponing significant reform efforts.

Against that backdrop, the passage of the Housing for the 21st Century Act represents a breakthrough — a bipartisan agreement that signals both political willingness and an acknowledgment that housing challenges demand federal action.

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II. What the Housing for the 21st Century Act Aims to Do

At its core, the Housing for the 21st Century Act is not a single narrowly focused bill but rather a comprehensive package of reforms aimed at several aspects of the housing market. Its sponsors and supporters describe it as a forward-looking effort to modernize federal housing policy, expand the nation’s housing stock, and reduce costs for renters and buyers alike.

Here are the major themes and reforms embedded in the bill:

1. Streamlining Regulatory Reviews

The Act aims to reduce delays and unnecessary duplication in environmental and other federal regulatory reviews that often slow down housing development. For many federally assisted housing projects, multiple environmental impact assessments can take months or years, adding time and cost that developers frequently pass on to home buyers and renters.

By refining how these reviews are conducted — particularly under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — the bill seeks to accelerate housing production without compromising environmental protections.

2. Updating Federal Housing Programs

Many federal housing programs administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) were created decades ago and have not kept pace with modern housing needs. The bill proposes changes that:

• Modernize the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, enabling local governments to use funds more flexibly for construction and rehabilitation.

• Expand eligible uses of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, including new construction.

• Revise manufactured housing rules, rescinding an outdated requirement that manufactured homes include a permanent chassis, a restriction that critics say has dampened production and increased costs.

These reforms are aimed at giving local governments and developers more tools to build affordable housing.

3. Boosting Housing Supply

A central challenge in the U.S. housing market is the shortage of housing units, particularly at price points affordable to middle- and lower-income households. The bill includes provisions to:

• Encourage local zoning reform, empowering communities to adopt housing-friendly zoning codes and permitting processes.

• Provide grants for regional planning and pre-approved home designs that can speed permitting and reduce construction costs.

Such policies aim to open the door for more diverse housing types, including townhomes, duplexes, and “missing middle” housing.

4. Supporting Rural and Underserved Areas

Housing challenges are not confined to big cities. Rural communities often face limited access to credit and financing, aging housing stock, and high repair costs. The bill includes measures to:

• Expand access to USDA housing programs, including quicker processing timelines.

• Strengthen mechanisms for rural housing repair and rehabilitation — a priority for many counties and underserved areas.

5. Enhancing Consumer and Tenant Protections

In addition to supply-side reforms, the Act includes provisions aimed at improving housing stability and equity. Notable measures include:

• Excluding certain veteran disability benefits from income calculations under some programs, which can increase access to supportive housing.

• Enhancing tenant protections and access to housing counseling, including funding for a federal eviction assistance helpline.

These elements reflect a broader view of housing affordability that goes beyond simply building more units.

6. Encouraging Investment and Financing

The bill also contains provisions designed to strengthen the flow of capital into housing development:

• Increasing banks’ public welfare investment cap, allowing them to allocate more capital to community development incentives like low-income housing tax credits.

• Reducing regulatory burdens for community banks, which supporters argue will expand credit availability for housing projects.

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III. Bipartisan Support — What It Took

One of the most remarkable aspects of the House vote was its overwhelming bipartisan support. This was not a narrow, party-line vote: Republicans and Democrats alike backed the measure, reflecting shared concern about the housing crisis and recognition that previous efforts had stalled.

Key figures in the House played instrumental roles:

• Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, shepherded the bill and built conservative support by emphasizing deregulation, empowerment of local governments, and private-sector financing.

• Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), ranking member of the same committee, highlighted the bill’s community-oriented reforms, protections for vulnerable renters, and expanded affordable housing financing tools.

This bipartisan leadership helped cultivate a coalition that saw the legislation not as a partisan achievement, but as a practical response to economic pressures felt by millions of Americans.

Industry groups also applauded the move. Organizations representing builders, developers, mortgage lenders, and state housing authorities welcomed the legislation as a step toward addressing barriers that have hampered construction and homeownership for years.

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IV. How It Compares With Senate Proposals

An important piece of the story is that the Senate has also been active on housing. The Senate’s counterpart to the House bill is the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, a separate bipartisan package that passed the Senate Banking Committee unanimously and was included in the Senate’s NDAA before being dropped from that must-pass vehicle.

While both bills share common goals — reducing red tape, increasing supply, and improving affordability — there are differences in approach and emphasis. For example, the Senate’s version contained a broader set of provisions, including reforms to program oversight and coordination and more extensive changes to rental assistance programs.

The result is that both chambers may need to reconcile their versions through a conference committee — an established mechanism for harmonizing competing bills — before a final text can be sent to the President’s desk.

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V. What Happens Next?

With the House passage completed, the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. That chamber has its own bipartisan housing package — the ROAD to Housing Act — already waiting, and leadership there will decide whether to take up the House bill as written, amend it with Senate provisions, or pursue a negotiated compromise.

Assuming the Senate takes action later this year, there are three likely outcomes:

1. Senate passes the House bill as is, sending it directly to the President for signature.

2. Senate amends the House version, returning it to the House for another vote.

3. Both chambers form a conference committee and negotiate a unified final bill.

Once enacted, the legislation would begin rolling out reforms across federal agencies and programs officially charged with housing policy.

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VI. Broader Implications for Housing Policy

The bipartisan passage of this housing reform measure is significant not just for its provisions but for what it says about political will. In a time of intense polarization, housing emerged as one of the few issues where lawmakers found common ground. That’s partly because the consequences of failing to act are so visible — from soaring rents to a dearth of entry-level homes for first-time buyers.

More broadly, the legislation indicates a shift toward a multi-pronged federal housing strategy that:

• Recognizes the role of supply constraints in driving up costs.

• Attempts to balance federal guidance with local autonomy.

• Seeks to unlock private capital while protecting vulnerable populations.

It also sets a precedent for future cooperation on other economic issues where bipartisan solutions have long been elusive.

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VII. Critics and Concerns

No major bill is without detractors. Some housing advocates argue that the legislation, while ambitious in parts, does not go far enough in addressing the root causes of affordability challenges — particularly in high-cost coastal markets where supply constraints are most severe. Others express concern that streamlining environmental reviews could, if not implemented wisely, weaken important protections or community input.

On the other side, some fiscal conservatives worry about expanding federal programs and fear that shifting too much focus to government involvement could distort market dynamics.

Such criticisms reflect the broader complexity of housing policy: there is no single silver bullet, and any federal effort must balance competing priorities.

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VIII. Conclusion: A Step Forward

The House’s decisive passage of the Housing for the 21st Century Act marks a momentous step in U.S. housing policy. Through bipartisan cooperation, lawmakers crafted a sweeping reform package that tackles supply constraints, regulatory hurdles, program modernization, and consumer protections — all aimed at making housing more affordable and accessible for millions of American families.

While challenges remain — especially in reconciling the House and Senate bills and in seeing the measure through to final enactment — the vote reflects a renewed federal commitment to addressing an issue that touches every American household.

As the bill advances to the Senate and beyond, millions will be watching — hopeful that this time, meaningful change in the nation’s housing policy is within reach.