Congressman Cleaver Applauds House Passage of Landmark Bipartisan Housing Package

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Housing for the 21st Century Act, led by Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance Chair Mike Flood (R-NE), House Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill (R-AR), and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-MO), passed the full U.S. House of Representatives by a strong bipartisan vote of 390-9.

This bipartisan housing package addresses the housing shortage facing America and the need to build more homes by cutting red tape, modernizing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and unlocking financing to boost supply. Included in the Housing for the 21st Century Act are multiple reforms introduced by Rep. Cleaver, including the HOME Reform Act, Choice in Affordable Housing Act, Housing Supply Expansion Act, Streamlining Manufactured Housing Standards Act, HUD Accountability Act, and legislation making long-overdue improvements to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service.   

The Housing for the 21st Century Act takes historic steps to expand the development and preservation of affordable housing in communities across the country, ensuring lower housing costs and more opportunities for hardworking families to achieve the American dream,” said Ranking Member Cleaver. “I’m proud of the overwhelming support we were able to obtain with this comprehensive housing package, which underscores the bipartisan nature of the legislation and the broad support for the reforms that will drive down costs. As we move toward negotiations with the Senate, I’m confident that we can achieve a bicameral agreement that will address our national housing affordability crisis and lead to relief for the American people."

Chairman Hill said, “Owning a home has been the cornerstone achievement many Americans have equated with attaining the American Dream,” said Chairman Hill. “This dream has unfortunately grown increasingly out of reach after years of inflationary Biden-era policies and housing supply falling short of demand. Our Committee has been laser-focused on creating solutions and today, we delivered for the American people. The passage of the Housing for the 21st Century Act includes real, bipartisan solutions to expanding supply, lowering costs, and providing families with more options. I commend Ranking Member Waters, Subcommittee Chair Flood, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Cleaver on collaborating on this legislation and I look forward to ultimately bringing a bicameral product to the President’s desk.”

Ranking Member Waters stated, “For far too many families across the country, the American Dream is slipping further out of reach as the number of safe and affordable places to call home dwindles and costs continue to soar. That struggle is not abstract. Working families, young children, seniors, teachers, veterans – these are the faces of the affordable housing and homelessness crisis throughout our nation. The passage of H.R. 6644, the Housing for the 21st Century Act, is a historic first step toward confronting a housing crisis that is squeezing families and communities nationwide. While more must be done, including real federal investments to meet the scale of this housing crisis, H.R. 6644 provides a strong foundation to build on. I commend Chairman Hill, Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver, and Subcommittee Chair Flood for working with me to put families first and advance this important legislation. I will continue to work with urgency to deliver a strong bicameral bill to the President’s desk as we owe it to the millions of renters and homeowners who need us to act now.”

Subcommittee Chair Flood added, “America's significant housing shortage is locking entire generations out of home ownership. As the Chairman of the Housing & Insurance Subcommittee, I’m proud of the broad support this housing package received every step of the way. Today’s vote shows that bipartisanship is still alive in Washington and continues to be crucial to solving our shared challenges. Now that the legislation has passed the House floor, I look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to get housing affordability legislation to President Trump’s desk swiftly."

This comprehensive approach to expand the supply of affordable housing by streamlining federal programs, updating outdated and unnecessary regulations, and providing local flexibility rather than a one-size-fits-all solution would be achieved through key aspects of the package introduced by Representative Cleaver, including:

• HOME Reform Act: Introduced by Ranking Member Cleaver and Chairman Flood, the legislation is the most significant reform to the HOME program since authorization in 1990 and would increase the supply of decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing.
• Rural Housing Service Program Improvements: The legislation includes sections of the Rural Housing Service Reform Act, introduced by Ranking Member Cleaver and Representative Zach Nunn (R-IA), representing the most significant Rural Housing Service reforms in decades. The included sections would allow for greater use of the Rural Housing Service Section 504 Home Repair Program, including expanding participation to include more low-income families, among other provisions.  
• Choice in Affordable Housing Act: Introduced by Ranking Member Cleaver and Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY), the Choice in Affordable Housing Act is a major reform the HUD’s Section 8 program that would streamline the program and increase the number of private landlords participating in the program. 
• Manufactured Housing Innovations: The legislation includes the Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Cleaver and Rep. Rose (R-TN), which would update the federal definition of manufactured housing and allow for more efficient and cost-effective designs. Additionally, the housing package includes legislation introduce by Chairman Flood and Ranking Member Cleaver that would streamline energy efficiency and safety standards for manufactured housing.
• HUD Accountability Act: Introduced by Ranking Member Cleaver and Rep. Lawler, the HUD Accountability Act requires the Secretary of HUD to testify on an annual basis before Congress.
   

Click here for the text of the bill.

Click here for a one-pager. 

Click here for a section-by-section.

Further Background:

• On December 17, 2025, the Housing for the 21st Century Act passed out of the Financial Services Committee with a vote of 50-1. 

• On December 11, 2025, Chairman Hill, Ranking Member Waters, Subcommittee Chairman Flood, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Cleaver introduced the Housing for the 21stCentury Act.

• On December 3, 2025, the full Committee held a hearing entitled “Building Capacity: Reducing Government Roadblocks to Housing Supply.” The Committee reviewed 41 bipartisan solutions to address barriers to affordable housing.

• On July 16, 2025, the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing entitled “HOME 2.0: Modern Solutions to the Housing Shortage.”

• On June 12, 2025, the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing entitled “Housing in the Heartland: Addressing Our Rural Housing Needs.”

• On May 14, 2025, the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing entitled “Expanding Choice and Increasing Supply: Housing Innovation in America.”

• On March 4, 2025, the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing entitled “Building Our Future: Increasing Housing Supply in America.”  

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.