The House and Senate return from recess next week as lawmakers continue negotiations on the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, following the House's 396-13 vote last week to pass the amended housing package. (Politico, May 24 | May 25)

What’s Next

• The House-passed bill now returns to the Senate, where lawmakers must decide whether to accept the amended package or pursue additional changes as both chambers resume work next week. The Senate returns Monday, June 1, with no floor action on the housing bill scheduled yet. (Roundtable Weekly, May 22)

• The White House said it “strongly supports” the House-amended bill and urged the Senate to pass it, asking both chambers to “resolve any remaining differences expeditiously.” (White House SAP, May 20 | CNBC)

• Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said there is “still work to be done” on a final bill. (Politico, May 21)

• Neither Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) nor Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has publicly said whether they support the House-amended package. (Politico, May 21)

• The Real Estate Roundtable (RER) joined more than 125 housing advocacy and industry groups in supporting the House amendment and urging the Senate to pass the legislation. (Financial Services Committee Press Release, May 29 | Coalition Letter, May 18 | Statement May 20)

Key Reforms

• The House-passed bill preserves core Senate provisions designed to expand housing supply, modernize federal housing programs, streamline environmental reviews, reduce barriers to new construction, improve affordability, support manufactured housing, and encourage local zoning and land-use reforms. (View Bill Text |  One-Pager | Section-by-Section | Bipartisan Policy Center, May 20) 

• The most significant change is the removal of the Senate’s unconstitutional seven-year forced-sale mandate for build-to-rent (BTR) housing. Limits on large institutional investors remain, with exceptions for newly built and renovated housing. (Axios, May 21)

Roundtable Advocacy

• RER strongly supported the House amendment, which advances several housing supply and affordability reforms RER has long championed. (Financial Services Committee Press Release, May 29 | RER Statement, May 20)

• Over the last several months, RER led efforts to raise constitutional concerns about the Senate’s forced-sale mandate, including through a white paper by former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, which framed the provision as an unprecedented federal market intervention and detailed a “triple threat” to the U.S. Constitution. (RER’s One Pager, May 18 | RER Letter, May 12 | Roundtable Weekly, April 17)

HUD Regulatory Action

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published an interim final rule this month to shorten environmental reviews for large, federally supported multifamily developments. The rule removes an additional approval step for projects with more than 200 units or a mortgage of more than $5 million. (Bisnow, May 27)

• The change goes into effect June 22, and HUD is accepting public comments through July 21.

• The rule is part of a broader federal effort to cut red tape, speed up housing construction, and help address rising costs. (PoliticoPro, May 22)

• HUD also released its State and Local Best Practices for Home Construction Report last week, outlining actions state and local governments can take to reduce housing costs, unlock land for new supply, and accelerate construction timelines. (Report, | HUD Press Release, May 20)

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