The House passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act, a bipartisan package aimed at boosting housing production nationwide and easing development barriers, including a new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pilot program that would support regional planning efforts in tribal communities.
H.R. 6644 would overhaul longstanding federal housing programs by reducing federal approval times, easing financial restrictions and removing duplicative reporting requirements. It directs HUD and other agencies to update regulations that limit private capital use, require multiple federal signoffs or prevent local governments from combining funding streams.
The package expands access to manufactured and affordable housing finance, modernizes rural development programs and gives lenders more flexibility to support new construction by loosening outdated underwriting rules. For tribal, state and local governments, the bill’s new HUD pilot program would fund regional planning efforts that align land use, infrastructure and housing needs — areas where fragmented federal rules and inconsistent program criteria have historically slowed tribal participation, per the bill’s text.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the vote “a critical step toward addressing this shortage by reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers, modernizing HUD programs, and giving banks flexibility to deploy capital to increase our housing supply.”
Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R‑Ark.) echoed the sentiment, calling homeownership “the cornerstone achievement many Americans have equated with attaining the American Dream.” Rep. Mike Flood (R‑Neb.) chair of the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee, said the vote pointed to crucial bipartisanship in the House.
The bill — led by Hill; Rep. Maxine Waters (D‑Calif.), the committee’s ranking member; Flood; and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D‑Mo.) the subcommittee’s ranking member — now moves to the Senate.
Rudy Soto, executive director of the National American Indian Housing Council, said the House vote signals momentum for broader reforms.
“The House’s passage of the Housing for the 21st Century Act represents meaningful bipartisan progress toward addressing our nation’s housing supply and affordability challenges,” Soto said in a statement provided to Tribal Business News. “For tribal nations and Indian Country, these steps are especially important. When federal housing policy becomes more responsive and less restrictive, tribal governments are better positioned to meet urgent housing needs for families, elders, veterans and workforce households.”
Soto said Congress must ensure tribal housing programs are fully included as reforms advance, pointing to the stalled reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self‑Determination Act (NAHASDA) as the next critical step. In an email, Soto said he expected a new NAHASDA bill to be introduced soon.