In a resounding bipartisan statement, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on Thursday in an 89-10 vote.
It marks the culmination of a long road for the comprehensive housing package, which was initially called just the ROAD to Housing Act when it was introduced by senators Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in July 2025.
“This is a bill about increasing supply, and anybody who wants to try to block this bill is going to have to explain to the American people why they don’t want to see us build more housing and have that housing in the hands of homeowners,” Warren said on the Senate floor immediately after the bill’s passage.
Senate leaders now face the tall task of reconciling the legislation with the House of Representatives’ version. The House package, called the Housing for the 21st Century Act, passed in that chamber of Congress on Feb. 9 by a 390 to 9 margin.
While the House and Senate versions overlap in some respects, significant differences remain. According to a Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) explainer, the 42 sections of the revamped 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act “includes 18 sections from both the House and Senate bills and at least 26 sections that incorporate previously introduced bipartisan legislation.”
On Wednesday, Politico reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested during a closed-door meeting that the bill could go to conference — a process that could drag negotiations out for weeks.
But the mood was mostly celebratory on Thursday as comments poured in from industry trade groups.
“It is a testament to both Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders that the Senate has adopted the most comprehensive housing bill in more than a decade,” the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) wrote in a statement provided to Scotsman Guide.
However, the CHLA added that it believes further “bold action” is needed, noting that it has been developing a plan and “will be announcing a comprehensive set of recommendations in the next month or two.”
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) called the bill “the most comprehensive bipartisan housing affordability legislation in decades.”
“This legislation matters,” said NAMB President Kimber White. “It cuts red tape that has slowed housing production for years, boosts housing supply to address the root cause of affordability challenges, and takes steps to keep corporate investors from outcompeting everyday homebuyers for single-family homes.”
Regarding its impacts on the mortgage industry, White noted that “more homes in the pipeline means more families ready to buy — and more opportunities for the brokers and loan originators who serve them.”
Dennis Shea, executive vice president and chair of the J. Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy at BPC, said the Senate’s vote “moves practical solutions forward.”
“Differences with the House remain, but given how far lawmakers have come working together, we’re hopeful they can keep building momentum to deliver a strong bill to the president’s desk,” Shea stated.
David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), released a statement calling the Senate passage “an important step forward in addressing the severe shortage of affordable housing facing communities across the country.”
But Dworkin added that “provisions in the bill that could hurt the ability of investors to build tens of thousands of units of rental housing per year will need to be addressed by the House.”
The NHC was among a dozen trade groups that co-signed a letter sent to Senate leaders Tuesday that objected to a provision in the bill that would require investors to sell certain homes, including build-to-rent (BTR) housing, within seven years of purchase.
The organizations warned the provision “will effectively shut down BTR development,” which they believe “would take hundreds of thousands of housing units off the market over the next decade, many of which would serve lower- and middle-income households.”
Sen. Scott had told reporters on March 3 that the section of the bill containing the investor restrictions, titled “Homes Are for People, Not Corporations,” was included as a condition for the legislation to receive White House backing, according to Bloomberg.
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) was among the trade groups that endorsed the letter to Senate leadership. The association issued a measured statement Thursday following the bill’s passage.
While noting that the group “supported the underlying House and Senate housing proposals that formed the basis for this bipartisan package,” which includes “many positive provisions” in its view, “the restrictions on institutional investment in single-family housing would further limit financing for build-for- and built-to-rent housing communities, while the Federal Housing Administration multifamily section would reduce loan limits and constrain capital for new rental housing development.”
The MBA urged Senate leaders to work with the House and Trump administration officials to address those concerns.
“The goal should be clear: a final package that puts the country on a path to increased affordability, lower operational costs, less red tape, and more housing, not less,” the MBA statement concluded.
