NAHB Helps Secure Passage of Historic Housing Bill
The House today overwhelmingly approved the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, advancing to President Trump legislation that NAHB helped shape through a years-long advocacy effort to significantly boost housing production.
“NAHB applauds lawmakers for working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to pass historic housing legislation that will deliver real benefits for the American people,” said NAHB Chairman Bill Owens. “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act will help expand the nation’s housing supply by reducing regulatory barriers and encouraging local governments to reform zoning and land-use policies that have limited home building.”
Top 5 Provisions
This once-in-a-generation housing package includes more than 50 sections addressing housing supply, financing, disaster recovery and other priorities. NAHB provided input to Congress on many parts of the bill, but these five provisions are especially important to members:
- Land-Use and Zoning. The bill targets restrictive zoning and land-use policies that have limited residential construction. It directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to work with stakeholders, including home builders and developers, to identify best practices and give state and local governments options to increase housing production. It also rewards communities that adopt policies that expand supply and support housing growth.
- Aging Housing Stock. This provision authorizes a pilot program to provide grants and forgivable loans for home repairs and health-hazard mitigation in aging housing.
- Multifamily Financing. FHA-insured multifamily loan limits have not changed in 12 years and no longer reflect market conditions. Raising those limits and indexing them to inflation will better align financing with construction costs and support new apartment development.
- Environmental Reviews. This provision streamlines the National Environmental Policy Act review process for small and infill housing projects, helping them move to construction faster.
- Community Banks. NAHB members rely on community banks to finance residential construction, but fewer of these lenders remain on Main Street. Multiple provisions are aimed at strengthening community banks and expanding access to housing credit.
NAHB Fights for the Strongest Bill
This legislation caps a three-year NAHB effort to combine key bi-partisan housing bills from the previous Congress into a single package that would meaningfully increase housing production and lower costs. Throughout the legislative process, the House and Senate developed separate versions of a comprehensive housing bill. The bill the Senate passed in March included positive provisions to streamline environmental reviews and improve aging housing stock, but it also would have required institutional investors to sell build-for-rent (BTR) single-family homes within seven years. NAHB and Urban Institute estimates found that the mandate could have sharply reduced investment in single-family rental housing and cut single-family production by 40,000 to 72,000 units annually. The Senate bill also lowered FHA-insured multifamily loan limits and removed some land-use and zoning reforms.
By contrast, the House amendment to the Senate housing bill:
- Removed the seven-year BTR forced-sale requirement
- Increased FHA-insured multifamily loan limits
- Added land-use and zoning reforms
- Inserted community bank provisions to support housing lending
Before the House amended the Senate bill, President Trump called on lawmakers to pass the Senate version without changes. NAHB was the first major industry stakeholder to urge House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill and Ranking Member Maxine Waters to stand firm and ensure the final bill excluded any forced-sale provision targeting BTR single-family homes.
As the process advanced, NAHB worked with House and Senate lawmakers to pass a final housing package that combined the strongest elements of both bills and reflected Congress’s goal of increasing the nation’s housing supply. The legislation, which was approved by the Senate on June 22 and will be signed into law by the president shortly, does just that: It preserves key NAHB-supported House provisions, including removal of the BTR forced sale mandate, and adds a Senate provision authorizing the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program for three years.
Legislative Conference Provides the Final Push
It is no coincidence this major housing package passed Congress less than two weeks after the 2026 NAHB Legislative Conference. On June 10, more than 1,100 NAHB members met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and press for two key House-backed changes: removing the forced sale of BTR housing and increasing FHA multifamily loan limits.
The housing bill was NAHB members’ top legislative priority. In roughly 300 meetings with lawmakers, members stressed the need to send this vital legislation quickly to the president’s desk.
Before heading to Capitol Hill, members heard from Chairman Hill, who worked closely with NAHB throughout the process.
The multiyear effort resulted in landmark legislation approved with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, reinforcing that housing is a national priority. “The bill will expand housing opportunities for buyers and renters, strengthen homeownership and address affordability challenges in communities nationwide,” said Owens.