House finds rare moment of unity to tackle housing affordability

Legislation to address housing affordability passed Monday with overwhelming support in the House, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have homed in on pocketbook issues for the midterm campaigns.

The 21st Century Act won approval in a 390-9 vote. A single Democrat and eight Republicans voted against the bill.

The bill contains some 25 measures such as streamlining the regulatory process, modernizing federal housing programs, expanding financing options and strengthening oversight of housing providers.

Rep. French Hill of Arkansas, the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, described it as a “straightforward approach.”

“Americans across our nation have faced the tough reality of out-of-control costs because of the recent spike in inflation coming out of the pandemic,” he said. “Housing for the 21st Century Act includes real, bipartisan solutions to expand supply, lower costs and more importantly, give our families more options.”

The lead Democratic sponsor,  Rep. Maxine Waters of California, said the country’s “housing and homelessness crisis has reached a breaking point.”

“The struggle has real faces of our children’s teachers, working mothers, veterans and of course children from all over the country,” she said.

Since the pandemic, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the 50 largest cities in the U.S. has gone up 41%, according to a December study from LendingTree.

Between 2020 and 2025, home prices surged roughly 55% nationwide, according to the National Association of Home Builders. And, according to an analysis from Bankrate, 75% of U.S. homes on the market are unaffordable to the typical household.

The median age of a first-time home buyer has also climbed to an all-time high of 40 years of age, according to the National Association of Realtors.

“Incomes haven’t kept pace with these increases, which means housing eats up more and more of a family’s paycheck,” Ms. Waters said.

Several banking and housing associations back the bill.

Americans for Prosperity, a conservative grassroots organization, called the legislation “a promising step forward,” but encouraged Congress to focus on “removing federal restrictions and empowering local innovation.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, called the bill a “modest step in the right direction” but railed against President Trump’s handling of what he called an “affordability crisis” in America.

“The problem that we confront in this country right now, with housing costs exploding out of control, is that Donald Trump, who claims to be a builder, has done nothing to address the affordable housing crisis,” he said. “It’s like Donald Trump is allergic to dealing with the issue of affordability.”

Mr. Trump signed an executive order last month blocking institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. A ban that has long been floated by Democrats, but was not in the legislation approved Monday.

The Senate has its own bipartisan housing bill, the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act. It passed the upper chamber in October as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

The two bills contain many similarities. However, there are some provisions in the Senate bill that tempt opposition from House Republicans, such as an increased federal role in local zoning decisions.

A report from the libertarian Cato Institute said the ROAD Act is based on a “misguided housing shortage narrative.”