Historic bill targets America's housing crisis
With unanimous support, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee advanced the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 on July 29, underscoring bipartisan commitment to affordable housing reform.
The Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act of 2025 was sponsored by committee chairman Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat. A report from USA Today noted that the legislation aims to “increase the supply of affordable housing in America” through multiple approaches, including boosting construction, making small mortgages more accessible, reforming the appraisal process and supporting manufactured housing.
Most comprehensive housing bill since Great Recession
Analysts at the Bipartisan Policy Center called the legislation “the most impactful and comprehensive piece of housing legislation since the Great Recession,” which began in 2007. The bill’s scope demonstrates its ambitious nature—it incorporates parts of at least 27 previously introduced pieces of legislation, with 23 of those having bipartisan sponsors.
The national housing crisis has deepened and expanded beyond traditional high-cost areas. Home prices reached a new all-time high in 2024, with the median at $412,500. Using the traditional lender ratio of 31% debt-to-income, a borrower would need an annual income of at least $126,700 to afford a mortgage payment on a home of that price.
“Many people around the country, frustrated with the way we do American politics, wonder, is there any issue that brings this nation together?” said Sen. Scott during the July 29 session. “I’m here to say hallelujah! We have found one. It is housing.”
Broad industry support
Major industry organizations rallied behind the legislation, expressing strong support in letters to the committee. The National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, and Mortgage Bankers Association all released statements backing the bill.
Kevin M. Sears, 2025 President of the National Association of Realtors, praised the legislation as “landmark, comprehensive” and noted that his organization “previously endorsed many of these provisions as standalone measures.” Jeffrey D. DeBoer, president and CEO of the Real Estate Roundtable, called it “a meaningful step toward addressing one of the most urgent challenges facing our nation.”
The bill also received endorsements from housing advocacy groups and local government organizations. Tom Cochran, CEO of the United States Conference of Mayors, and Andrew Ginther, Chair of the organization's Housing Task Force, described it as “landmark piece of legislation that addresses the urgent need to make substantial movement on the national housing crisis.”
Challenges ahead
Despite the broad endorsement and initial success, observers caution that the bill still faces significant legislative hurdles. The House of Representatives is expected to consider the measure in the fall, and analysts point out that the current bill does not uniformly propose funding levels or offsetting budgetary savings, which could be points of contention in future debates.
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