The Senate passed a bill aimed at lowering housing costs on Monday after a major breakthrough and rare bipartisan consensus that comes as affordability remains top of mind for voters heading into the midterm elections. In an 85-5 vote, the Senate approved the legislation along wide bipartisan margins. It now heads to the House for approval. The bill, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, aims to increase housing supply and bring down costs, including by limiting institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes. The Senate approved an earlier version of the package in March, before the House in May approved another version. Then last week, the Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees announced a bicameral agreement on the long-sought legislation.
The House will likely begin consideration of the housing bill Tuesday, with a final vote potentially taking place the same day, accelerating a previous plan to secure congressional passage of the legislation. House leadership had planned to fast-track approval of the housing affordability bill by suspending the rules, a maneuver that limits debate but requires a two-thirds majority vote, as soon as Wednesday, but are looking to move that process a day earlier. President Donald J. Trump is expected to hold a signing ceremony for the bill as soon as Wednesday if the legislation can clear the House today. Politically, the housing package is significant given how few pieces of legislation get such widespread support from both parties. The last non-spending bill to pass the Senate with a similar margin in a recorded vote, besides previous versions of the housing package, was the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act in early 2025. Another significantly bipartisan bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed the chamber by unanimous consent that fall.
For today, the Senate will take up confirmation of Executive Calendar #758 – Darrell Owens, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Adoption of H.Con.Res.86 – Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.
The House is back in session and will also take up ten bills under suspension of the Rules.
