Washington, D.C. – March 12, 2026 – David M. Dworkin, President and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), released the following statement after the Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, its version of H.R. 6644, previously called the Housing for the 21st Century Act. The bipartisan, comprehensive housing and community development package largely replaces the House-passed text of H.R. 6644, with the Senate’s previously passed ROAD to Housing Act and makes other adjustments.
“We commend the Senate for passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, an important step forward in addressing the severe shortage of affordable housing facing communities across the country. With the country millions of homes short of what is needed and housing costs continuing to rise, it is encouraging to see Congress come together around bipartisan solutions aimed at expanding supply and modernizing key housing programs.
This legislation includes important provisions to boost housing supply, support for state, local, and tribal housing planning, expand manufactured housing, increase the public welfare investment cap, streamline environmental reviews, and modernize the HOME program. It also improves interagency coordination, updates USDA’s Rural Housing Service, encourages landlord participation in the Housing Choice Voucher program, reforms disaster recovery, and promotes housing for veterans.
We especially appreciate how Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) worked together to craft bipartisan legislation in the Senate and look forward to the House continuing to do the same.
No bill is perfect, but this legislation includes many important policies that will help expand housing supply and improve affordability. Provisions in the bill that could hurt the ability of investors to build tens of thousands of units of rental housing per year will need to be addressed by the House. We look forward to continuing to work with the Senate, House, and the Trump Administration to ensure the strongest possible version of the bill ultimately becomes law.”
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