Congress sends major housing bill to Trump's desk

(The Center Square) – The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the revised 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, sending the bipartisan bill to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.

The legislation, which aims to boost housing supply and home ownership nationally, cleared the lower chamber in a 358-32 vote Tuesday evening after sailing through the Senate the night before.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., who helped shape the package, called it “one of the most significant bipartisan housing reforms in recent memory.”

“This final product advances practical, bipartisan, and bicameral solutions to modernize federal housing programs, reduce regulatory burdens, streamline the development process, and help build more homes to meet that growing demand and keep the American dream within reach,” Hill told lawmakers.

At 381 pages, the long-delayed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act largely focuses on simplifying or changing regulations that can slow new home building.

Among other regulatory reforms, the bill streamlines environmental reviews for new housing construction, raises the income eligibility for Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) project grants, and makes affordable housing construction eligible for Community Development Block Grant funding.

It also encourages community bank investments in housing by raising banks’ public welfare investment cap from 15% to 20% of their total capital and expanding access to third-party funding sources for financing mortgages and home construction loans.

To expand manufactured housing, the legislation eliminates the current requirement that all manufactured homes be built on a permanent chassis. It also authorizes a specialized grant program for areas with manufactured housing communities and updates mortgage lending standards through the Federal Housing Administration for manufactured homes.

In a slightly controversial move, the bill ties some municipalities’ Community Block Grant Development funding to the rate of their homebuilding, decreasing funding for recipients that lag on housing production and rewarding localities that accelerate it.

The legislation also incentivizes local governments to reform permitting and zoning laws in favor of housing construction by establishing a seven-year, $200 million annual competitive grant program for municipalities that significantly add to their housing supply.

While lawmakers ultimately stripped a provision that would have required large institutional investors to sell rental homes they built to individuals within seven years of construction, they included some restrictions on corporate home ownership.

Nearly 27% of all home sales in the first quarter of 2025 went to investors, both corporate and individual, according to a recent analysis by BatchData.

To help address the problem, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act institutes the first federal ban on large institutional investors – defined as entities that own more than 350 housing units – from buying single-family homes for the next 15 years. Manufactured housing, multifamily homes, and build-to-rent properties are exempted from the ban.

Republicans also obtained a four-year ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency, though it exempts “any dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless, and private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of United States coins and physical currency.”

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the bill gives Republicans an opportunity to showcase Trump-endorsed legislation as evidence they are tackling affordability issues, which Democrats have made a pain point for the party.

The median home price in the U.S. sits above $405,000 while the median annual household income is below $84,000, according to the most recent federal statistics.

Meanwhile, the median age of first-time buyers jumped to 40 in 2025, seven years older than the median age just five years prior, according to a National Association of Realtors analysis.

“We promised the American people we would fight to make homeownership attainable again, and today we delivered,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said on social media following the House vote. “Republicans have been laser-focused on lowering costs for working families, and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a pivotal part of making that a reality.”

Hundreds of organizations have expressed support for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, including the National Association of Homebuilders, the National Association of Realtors, the National Housing Conference, the National Association of Counties, and the Bipartisan Policy Center.

"The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passing both chambers is a milestone not just for housing policy, but for what's possible when Congress works together,” Dennis Shea, Executive Vice President of BPC’s Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, stated. “For the families who've been priced out, squeezed out, or left behind by a broken housing market, this is a meaningful step—and it's long overdue.”

ENSURING CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION AND INTEGRITY IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS

March 31, 2026

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20901 et seq.), the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.), and the Federal Government’s constitutional obligation to guarantee a republican form of Government to every State in the Union, U.S. Const. Art. IV, Sec. 4, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. The right to vote in Federal elections is reserved exclusively for citizens of the United States under the Constitution and Federal law. Federal statutes explicitly prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote or voting in Federal elections and impose criminal penalties for violations. (18 U.S.C. 241; 18 U.S.C. 611; 18 U.S.C. 1015; and 52 U.S.C. 20511). The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains records that, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program under 42 U.S.C. 1320b-7, can assist in verifying identity and Federal election voter eligibility.

The Federal Government has an unavoidable duty under Article II of the Constitution of the United States to enforce Federal law, which includes preventing violations of Federal criminal law and maintaining public confidence in election outcomes. To enhance election integrity via the United States Mail, additional measures are necessary. Secure ballot envelope identifiers provide a reliable, auditable mechanism to enforce Federal law without unduly burdening or infringing on the rights of eligible voters. Unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, enable confirmation that only citizens receive and cast ballots, reducing the risk of fraud and protecting the integrity of Federal elections.

Sec. 2. Establishment and Transmission of State Citizenship Lists and Prioritization of Investigations and Prosecutions Related to Election Fraud. (a) To the extent feasible and consistent with applicable law, including but not limited to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and in coordination with the Commissioner of SSA, shall take appropriate action to compile and transmit to the chief election official of each State a list of individuals confirmed to be United States citizens who will be above the age of 18 at the time of an upcoming Federal election and who maintain a residence in the subject State (State Citizenship List). The State Citizenship List shall be derived from Federal citizenship and naturalization records, SSA records, SAVE data, and other relevant Federal databases. The State Citizenship List shall be updated and transmitted to State election officials no fewer than 60 days before each regularly scheduled Federal election, or promptly upon request by a State in connection with any special Federal election. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish procedures to (i) allow individuals to access their individual records as well as to update or correct them in advance of elections; and (ii) enable States to routinely supplement and provide suggested modifications or amendments to the State Citizenship List transmitted thereto. An individual’s identification on the State Citizenship List does not indicate that the individual has been properly registered to vote in the State. State and Federal laws and State procedures must still be followed for an individual to be registered to vote. There may be State laws, not reflected in the State Citizenship List, that preclude voter registration, or the individual may choose not to be registered.

(b) For purposes of this order, an individual is “eligible to vote in a Federal election” if the individual is a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older by the date of the upcoming election, and otherwise qualified under the laws of his or her State. The Attorney General shall prioritize the investigation and, as appropriate, the prosecution of State and local officials or any others involved in the administration of Federal elections who issue Federal ballots to individuals not eligible to vote in a Federal election, including under 18 U.S.C. 2(a), 18 U.S.C. 241, 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 611(a), 18 U.S.C. 1001, 18 U.S.C. 1015, 52 U.S.C. 10307, and 52 U.S.C. 20511. Similarly, the Attorney General shall prioritize the investigation and, as appropriate, the prosecution of individuals and public or private entities engaged in, or aiding and abetting, the printing, production, shipment, or distribution of ballots to individuals who are not eligible to vote in a Federal election.

Sec. 3. United States Postal Service Rulemaking on Mail-In and Absentee Ballots. (a) The unlawful use of the mail in connection with elections is prohibited by various Federal statutes, including 18 U.S.C. 1341, 18 U.S.C. 1708, 52 U.S.C. 10307, and 52 U.S.C. 20511.

(b) To ensure the faithful execution of Federal law, protect the integrity of the mail as a medium for transmitting Federal election ballots and establish uniform standards for mail-in or absentee ballot services implemented through the United States Postal Service (USPS), the Postmaster General is hereby directed to initiate a proposed rulemaking pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 401 and other applicable authority within 60 days of the date of this order. The notice of proposed rulemaking shall include, at minimum, the following:

(i) Proposed provisions specifying that all outbound ballot mail must be mailed in an envelope that:

(A) is marked as Official Election Mail, including through designated markings provided by USPS for this purpose, such as the Official Election Mail logo, as necessary and appropriate;

(B) is automation-compatible and bears a unique Intelligent Mail barcode, or successor USPS technology, that facilitates tracking and is consistent with the other requirements of this section; and

(C) has undergone a mail envelope design review by the USPS to ensure compliance with USPS mailing standards, including barcode placement.

(ii) Proposed provisions specifying that, no fewer than 90 days prior to a Federal election, any State may choose to notify the USPS if it intends to allow for mail-in or absentee ballots to be transmitted by the USPS. As part of that notification, any notifying State should further indicate whether it intends to submit to the USPS, no fewer than 60 days before the election, a list of voters eligible to vote in a Federal election in such State to whom the State intends to provide a mail-in or absentee ballot to be transmitted via the USPS.

(iii) Proposed provisions specifying that the USPS shall not transmit mail-in or absentee ballots from any individual unless those individuals have been enrolled on a State-specific list described in subsection (b)(iv) of this section with the USPS pursuant to this subsection.

(iv) Proposed provisions specifying that the USPS shall provide each State with a list of individuals (Mail-In and Absentee Participation List) who are enrolled with the USPS, pursuant to a process specified in the rulemaking directed by this subsection, for mail-in or absentee ballots provided by such State, along with unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, for mail-in or absentee ballots provided to such individuals. The preparation and transmission of each State-specific Mail-In and Absentee Participation List shall comply with the Privacy Act and all applicable use agreements.

(v) Proposed procedures enabling each State to routinely supplement and provide suggested modifications or amendments to the State’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List in advance of any Federal election, consistent with applicable State law.

(c) The USPS shall coordinate with the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice for investigation of suspected unlawful use of the mail involving Federal election materials....

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/

Executive Order 14399

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