OAN Staff Lillian Mann
6:40 AM – Thursday, May 21, 2026
A landmark housing affordability measure is one step closer to becoming a law after securing President Donald Trump’s support for several key provisions less than 24 hours before the vote.
The bill passed overwhelmingly on Wednesday with a 396–13 vote, marking a significant bipartisan victory aimed at improving housing affordability by expanding the housing supply.
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As an amended version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which passed the Senate in March, it seeks to address the housing crisis from multiple angles, including expanding loans for new housing construction, encouraging local governments to ease permitting restrictions, increasing the supply of manufactured housing, and limiting Wall Street’s ownership of single-family homes — the most controversial issue in the package.
In January, Trump issued an executive order restricting private equity firms’ ability to purchase single-family homes. The White House also indicated it would not sign the legislation without a provision addressing the issue.
The Senate pushed for broader language to limit so-called institutional investors, reducing exceptions and adding a requirement that single-family homes built by mega-landlords for long-term rental be sold to individual homeowners after seven years.
Meanwhile, the House sought to strip much of that language. It ultimately passed a version of the housing package that more closely aligned with the Senate’s approach to large investors, while dropping the divestiture requirement for build-to-rent homes.
After previously supporting the Senate-passed bill in its original form, the White House issued a formal statement on Wednesday endorsing the House version and urging the Senate to approve the legislation.
Taken together, the House and Senate proposals signal that Washington is approaching America’s housing affordability crisis with renewed urgency. If enacted, the measures would represent one of the most far-reaching federal housing initiatives in decades.
The two chambers will now need to reconcile their differences before the bill reaches the president’s desk.
Earlier this month, Trump voiced support for the Senate’s version in a social media post, writing that the measure “would ensure that homes are for people, not corporations.”
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