House Freedom Caucus rebels against housing bill despite Trump’s primary election dominance

A bloc of GOP House members, many aligned with the House Freedom Caucus, broke with President Donald Trump and Republican leadership on Wednesday by voting against a bipartisan housing bill, a move following primary elections that proved the president’s dominance over the party.  

The House approved an amended version of the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in a 396-13 vote, sending the legislation back to the Senate after House Republicans made changes to the measure. Trump had expressed optimism to the Washington Examiner about seeing the bill on his desk this week.

The bill needed strong backing in the House, as it was passed under suspension, which requires a two-thirds majority vote and sidesteps certain procedural hurdles.

The legislation aims to increase housing supply and reduce regulatory barriers to construction, with the House adding amendments to the Senate version of the bill to restrict large institutional investors from purchasing single-family