Next American Era Applauds Congress for Sending 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to the President
Overwhelming bipartisan votes in both chambers deliver landmark relief for American families locked out of the housing market
Next American Era President Cheri Bustos today applauded the House of Representatives for passing the Senate-revised 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, clearing the bill for President Trump's signature. The House vote follows the Senate's 85-5 passage of the legislation on Monday, completing a years-long bipartisan, bicameral effort to address America's housing affordability crisis.
"This is what it looks like when Washington actually works," said Bustos. "The House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, came together and supported this bill by margins that almost never happen anymore — because housing is not a partisan issue. The family that can't afford a starter home, the young couple delaying starting a family because rent is too high, the veteran who can't access the benefits they've earned — they don't care which party fixes this. They just need it fixed. Today, Congress took meaningful action to get it done."
Among the provisions Bustos highlighted:
Streamlining permitting to build more homes. The legislation streamlines environmental review processes, modernizes permitting for federally-supported housing projects, and creates incentives for communities that build more housing — removing the bureaucratic barriers that drive up construction costs and price Americans out of the market.
Expanding manufactured housing. The legislation modernizes access to manufactured housing — one of the most practical and underutilized pathways to affordable homeownership, particularly for rural families and first-time buyers.
Prioritizing homeownership for families. The bill restricts large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, which will meaningfully increase available housing supply and lower prices in communities across the country.
Building new pathways to ownership. From reforms to FHA loan programs and small dollar mortgages, to new support for Veterans Affairs home loans, whole-home repair grants, and expanded housing voucher access, the bill opens new doors for families who have been locked out for too long.
"For years, the cost of housing has been one of the defining challenges holding back American families," Bustos said. "Too many people have watched the dream of owning a home slip further and further away — not because they didn't work hard enough, but because the system made it harder than it needed to be. This bill starts to change that. It reduces burdensome regulations, expands supply, protects homeownership from corporate consolidation, and does it all with no new federal spending. That's the kind of practical, results-driven governance that Next American Era was built to advance."
Next American Era, which has championed housing reform as a core affordability priority since its founding, called on President Trump to sign the legislation without delay.
"Congress is doing its job with this extraordinary show of bipartisan unity that the American people deserve to see more of," Bustos said. "Now it's time to get this bill signed into law."
About Next American Era
Next American Era advances a pro-growth, pro-consumer, and pro-worker agenda that strengthens communities, fuels innovation, and expands economic opportunity for all Americans. Next American Era is a 501(c)(4) organization that makes the case for practical, results-driven governance that puts working people first. Learn more at nextamericanera.org.
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