When the Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act earlier this year, the author stated the bill was imperfect, like many bipartisan legislation pieces. Speaker Mike Johnson brought an amended version to the floor that passed, with the House version being superior to the Senate version. The measure deserves Senate support and presidential signature.
The shortage of available homes is creating significant voter discontent, with concerning consequences for young people losing homeownership hope. Research indicates Americans connect “the value of hard work” to homeownership, and those abandoning ownership aspirations demonstrate higher gambling rates and greater skepticism toward stock market investment.
According to Census Bureau data, the U.S. has 146 million homes, with 8.1 million being “doubled-up” units where residents share space with non-relatives. If half those families desire independent housing, substantial change is necessary. The ROAD Act targets regulations, construction incentives, faster approval processes, and converting abandoned structures into housing.
The most contentious element—a build-to-rent forced-sale requirement—was eliminated from the measure. Housing industry analysts and consumer advocates worried this would unnecessarily reduce rental construction, since many Americans prefer renting over homeownership.
