Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Sometimes, after years of seeming inertia, Washington moves in several directions at once.

Last week the Senate passed the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act, a/k/a the ROAD to Housing Act. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tim Scott of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with participation from ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, gathers together a wide range of housing proposals with bi-partisan support, aimed at addressing the country’s persistent shortage of homes.

Many of the provisions focus on housing supply and the barriers that slow development. Others touch on financing tools for affordable housing and updates to federal housing programs.

Then, almost immediately after the Senate vote, another development followed.  President Trump signed two housing-related executive orders: Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction and Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit.  The White House has indicated additional housing policy related executive orders could follow in the coming days.

The timing is noteworthy. While Congress considers broader legislative changes, the executive branch is looking at areas where federal agencies may already have authority to adjust regulations.

The Senate bill and the executive orders both focus on easing housing supply and improving financing, but in different ways. The ROAD to Housing Act includes incentives for local zoning reform, support for modular and manufactured housing, updates to federal housing programs, and limits on large institutional investors purchasing more than 350 single-family homes. The executive orders take a regulatory approach, directing federal agencies to review permitting and environmental rules that slow construction and asking regulators to modernize mortgage processes, including expanded use of digital closings and electronic notes. Together, they signal that both Congress and the administration are moving to address housing affordability on multiple fronts.

The next step now lies with the U.S. House of Representatives, which is expected to consider its own housing proposals as compared to the Senate bill. If both chambers ultimately pass legislation, lawmakers could still need to reconcile differences before a final bill could move forward.

However, if successful, it would suggest that housing affordability is becoming an increasingly active area of federal policy.  And just in time for campaign season, what luck.

For now, the message is fairly clear. Housing policy is moving forward on more than one track at the moment. Congress is debating longer-term structural changes, while the administration is examining regulatory steps that could be taken more quickly. Where those two paths eventually meet will shape how federal housing policy develops from here.

Join us as we keep watch and keep you informed in our publications, and catch up on consolidated resources in our new Housing Inventory & Attainability Watch library.

Until Next Time,

Mary Schuster
Chief Knowledge Officer
October Research, LLC