After previously staying out of disagreement between the House and the Senate, President Donald Trump went on social media Monday to demand that Congress pass the Senate housing package, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Currently, the Senate is in a stalemate with the House over how to advance housing affordability legislation.
The White House endorsed the Senate housing bill as-is in March.
Politico reported that House lawmakers had sought to change the Senate bill’s language aimed at restricting large Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes. The president previously had pushed for similar language to be included in any final housing legislation, but House members on both sides of the aisle said the Senate’s version would disincentivize house construction, Politico said.
“Senators Bernie Moreno and Tim Scott have worked to ensure my call becomes a reality, and have a Bill which has passed the Senate with nearly 90 votes,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am asking Congress to pass that Bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which would ensure that homes are for people, not Corporations.”
Trump wrote that “the American Dream of Homeownership is under attack” and that he is calling on Congress to permanently ban Wall Street investment firms from buying up single family homes.
Republicans Applauded Trump’s Move
“We remain committed to advancing a bicameral housing bill that reflects the views of both chambers to President Trump’s desk,” Dan Schneider, a spokesperson for House Financial Services Committee Republicans, said in a statement.
Politico noted that Republicans applauded Trump on X.
“The American Dream doesn’t belong to the highest bidder on Wall Street. It belongs to the American people, who work hard, save up, and play by the rules. I applaud President Trump’s leadership on this issue and urge the House to pass this bill,” Vice President JD Vance wrote in an X post.
Scott urged his colleagues in the House to pass the upper chamber’s bill and thanked Trump.
“By passing the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, Congress will deliver on your agenda and ensure that 2026 is truly the year of affordability,” Scott wrote in his X post.
Also on Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) urged the House to pass the Senate’s housing package as a way to quickly address affordability before of the midterm elections in November.
“Pass the bill. Restore the American Dream. LFG!” Moreno said in his post.
In an interview late last month, Thune told POLITICO that he believed it would take White House involvement to get the housing bill moving again. Politico noted that other GOP senators, such as Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) have said in recent interviews that they wanted the president to get involved in forcing the House to pass the Senate’s housing legislation.
NHC Supports Passage
On Tuesday, David M. Dworkin, President and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), said in a statement that the organization supports passing the bill as soon as possible.
“President Trump’s support for the first major housing supply and reform legislation in decades is essential to moving meaningful housing legislation across the finish line at a time when affordability challenges continue to put both renting and homeownership out of reach for millions of Americans,” he said.
“The Senate’s proposal to ban institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes reflects not only the President’s priorities, but the growing urgency of preserving homeownership opportunities for first-time buyers who are increasingly being priced out of the market,” Dworkin said. “Housing remains a major driver of discontent among Americans. A registered nurse can no longer afford to buy a home in 217 metro areas – 146 more than in 2019. A middle school teacher can’t afford to buy one in 299 metro areas, up from 114 in 2019. And 7,968 new occupation and metro area pairings can no longer afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment over the same period, according to NHC’s Paycheck to Paycheck database.
Dworkin added: “The House should move quickly to pass its bill and conference it with the Senate to finalize legislation that builds on this strong bipartisan foundation. The House approach can further strengthen the final package by ensuring it is fully consistent with the President’s executive order while doing everything possible to support the construction of much-needed housing for both homebuyers and renters. Misguided language that effectively bans the construction of single-family rental units was specifically excluded in the President’s Executive Order for good reason and should remain out of the legislation.”
Dworkin noted that, “At a time when housing affordability remains out of reach for too many Americans, Congress has an opportunity to take meaningful action to expand housing supply, strengthen communities, and restore pathways to homeownership.”
