Americans are told that Washington is hopelessly divided, with Republicans and Democrats drifting further toward extremes as everyday families struggle to afford basic living costs. In an election year, many assume that any meaningful change will have to wait until next year. Yet this week, the House of Representatives is set to offer a rare exception: a bipartisan bill that brings together Democrats and Republicans around a single goal — reducing housing costs by making it easier to build homes.
As chairman of the House’s only housing-focused panel, the Housing & Insurance Subcommittee, I know firsthand that the U.S.’s housing affordability crisis stems from a decadeslong imbalance between supply and demand. The solution is straightforward: to bring down housing costs, we must make it easier to build more homes.
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Additionally, President Donald Trump has become a leader in solving another core part of this problem. In his State of the Union address, Trump called out institutional investors who buy up single-family homes that would otherwise go to families looking to achieve the dream of homeownership. In some markets, such as Atlanta or Dallas, this is another driver of increased housing costs.
HOUSE FIXES SENATE HOUSING BILL
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, as amended by the House, addresses the long-standing housing supply shortfall while also imposing a flat ban on large institutional investors bidding against families looking to finally get into a home. Our bill is a comprehensive housing solution that slashes red tape, cuts housing costs, and ensures more homes come onto the market and go to hardworking families first.
Meanwhile, the Senate-passed version of the bill — written in large part by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) — is a Trojan horse for much of her far-left agenda. The bill includes language that would effectively eliminate an entire segment of housing development that adds 70,000 new houses every year, called “build-to-rent.” In a housing supply shortage, destroying a valuable source of new housing stock is akin to trying to put out a fire with a tank of gasoline.
The proposal to eliminate build-to-rent units is already wreaking havoc on the market, contradicting the goals of Trump’s executive order stopping large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. Earlier this year, 10,000 homes were stopped just by the threat of Warren’s legislation passing. Homebuilders and housing advocates have raised the alarm about this provision, which undercuts everyone’s goal of making it easier to build more housing. In the House-amended bill, we protect build-to-rent as a crucial part of lowering housing costs.
There are some other concerning provisions championed by Warren, including one that makes it easier for nonprofit groups to take over portions of the housing market. The Senate bill creates a new taxpayer-backed slush fund for “co-operatives” to own manufactured housing parks. These “co-operatives” will be funded by the very same nonprofit organizations that propped up the worst of the DEI craze, something that Trump has worked so hard to curtail since taking office.
While families struggle to afford a home, one of the more insidious provisions in the Warren housing bill is unrelated to housing altogether. Their housing bill has language that effectively authorizes a central bank digital currency through the back door. Although framed as a “pause” on adopting a CBDC, the provision implies that the Federal Reserve already has the authority to issue one without congressional approval — a central point of contention in the broader debate over congressional oversight of the Federal Reserve.
Warren’s push to include this language lays the groundwork for a CBDC to be introduced in 2030. A CBDC could become one of the greatest threats yet to the public’s financial privacy while dramatically expanding the Federal Reserve’s authority.
Despite pushback from the House and the housing industry, Warren has pressed on, insisting that no changes be made to her prized bill. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. She’s getting everything she wanted and more; why negotiate now?
THE ROAD TO HOUSING ACT IS A DEAD END FOR AFFORDABILITY
All of this is why the House of Representatives is taking action. Our amended version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act addresses these damaging provisions. Should Congress pass this amended bill, the development of thousands of housing units will restart, the backdoor green light for a CBDC will be reversed, and a bill that bans institutional investors from bidding against families for homes will become law.
Once the House-amended bill passes, we hope that our friends in the Senate take it up as soon as possible and send it to Trump’s desk. Time is short, and people need relief from rising housing costs. At the very least, they need a bill that doesn’t make things worse.
Mike Flood is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District.
