Congress appears to be moving closer to a final agreement on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, as Senate and House leaders work to resolve remaining differences and send the bipartisan housing package to President Trump’s desk. (PoliticPro, June 11)

State of Play

• The Senate and House each passed separate versions of the bill this year. The House-passed bipartisan amendment, approved 396-13 on May 20, is now awaiting Senate action. (Roundtable Weekly, May 22)

• Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) said Thursday he is “optimistic” the Senate and House can reach a bicameral agreement and send the bill to President Trump “in the next week or so.” (PoliticoPro, June 11)

• Scott said he met with House leaders on Tuesday to discuss compromise language “that’s on the table,” adding that the package “maintains all of the House product and most of ours.” (PoliticoPro, June 11)

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he hopes the Senate can pass an updated version of the housing package and send it back to the House before the July 4 recess. (PoliticoPro, June 11)

• The White House has indicated support for the House version as lawmakers work toward final passage. (White House SAP, May 20)

What They’re Saying

• At RER’s Annual Meeting this week, senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle also expressed optimism that Congress could reach an agreement and move the housing package forward. (See stories above)

• House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-AR) worked with House leadership, Democrats, and the White House to advance compromise language that secured overwhelming bipartisan support on the House floor. (PoliticoPro, June 8)

• “It’s in the best interest of both chambers and in the interest of both political parties to have a win on housing,” Chairman Hill told Politico. (PoliticoPro, June 8)

Why It Matters

• The bill is the most consequential housing package in a generation, with reforms aimed at increasing housing supply, boosting homeownership, and improving affordability.

• The House-passed bill preserves the core housing supply and affordability provisions in the Senate package, including reforms to streamline environmental reviews, reduce barriers to new construction, modernize HUD programs, support manufactured housing, and encourage local zoning and land-use reforms. (Bipartisan Policy Center, May 20)

• The most significant change was the removal of the Senate’s unconstitutional seven-year forced-sale mandate for build-to-rent housing, which would have required certain owners to sell newly built single-family rental homes after seven years. (RER Fact Sheet, June 8)

• RER members and other housing stakeholders warned that the mandate would be counterproductive—discouraging new construction and undermining efforts to increase housing supply.

RER Advocacy

• RER issued a statement strongly supporting the House-passed amendment, which is backed by more than 250 organizations. (Roundtable Weekly, May 22)

• The measure includes provisions relevant to owners, developers, and financiers of single- and multi-family rental housing, including reforms to modernize outdated housing programs, reduce barriers to development, and give local communities more flexibility. (RER Fact Sheet, June 8)

RER and its coalition partners will continue working with lawmakers to ensure the final package remains focused on increasing housing supply, improving affordability, protecting private property rights, and supporting the capital needed to build more homes nationwide.