Housing reform reaches law without presidential action as Warren pushes affordability agenda
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law without President Donald Trump's signature, after the president held the legislation for more than two weeks before the signing window closed. Described as the biggest housing bill in more than 30 years, the law builds federal incentives for local housing construction, clears outdated permitting rules, cuts costs for manufactured housing, and bars private equity from buying single-family homes. Senator Elizabeth Warren is pressing Congress to act next on credit card interest rates, grocery pricing, and health care consolidation.
Key takeaways
- The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law without President Trump's signature after he held it for more than two weeks until the signing window closed.
- Described as the biggest housing bill in more than 30 years, the law creates federal incentives for local construction, clears outdated permitting rules, cuts costs for manufactured housing, and bars private equity from buying single-family homes.
- Senator Elizabeth Warren said the private equity restriction is unprecedented and reported that nearly 90% of voters support the legislation.
- Warren is pushing Congress to act next on credit card interest rates, grocery pricing, and health care consolidation.
- Warren warns that Social Security benefits face automatic cuts in 2032 if Congress does not address the payroll tax cap.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law without President Donald Trump's signature, after the president held the legislation for more than two weeks before the signing window closed. Described as the biggest housing bill in more than 30 years, the law builds federal incentives for local housing construction, clears outdated permitting rules, cuts costs for manufactured housing, and bars private equity from buying single-family homes. Senator Elizabeth Warren is pressing Congress to act next on credit card interest rates, grocery pricing, and health care consolidation.
What the new law covers
Federal incentives for community-level building sit at the center of the legislation. The bill removes rules that had slowed construction timelines and addresses the cost of manufactured housing.
The private equity restriction is the provision Warren described as unprecedented. She said Congress had never before held private equity accountable, and this bill changes that. She credited Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Representative Maxine Waters of California, and mayors across the country for the bill's passage. Nearly 90% of voters support the legislation, she reported.
Trump, who did not formally oppose the bill, called the affordability crisis a "hoax" and described the legislation as "minor." He took no action within the required window.
Affordability items now in queue
Warren identified credit card interest rates as the first follow-on target. She is calling for a 10% cap, pointing to a promise Trump made in January that has not been acted on. By her accounting, families have been paying $368 million every day since that promise went unfulfilled. Nearly two-thirds of Americans across party lines support the cap.
On grocery costs, Warren cited anticompetitive behavior across the food industry and pointed to her Price Gouging Prevention Act as a vehicle. She also referenced her bipartisan Break Up Big Medicine Act, aimed at consolidation among insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and physician practices.
Wages and Social Security anchor the rest of the agenda. Social Security benefits face potential cuts in 2032 if Congress does not address the payroll tax cap, Warren said. Congress has not raised the federal minimum wage in almost 20 years, and more than 80% of Democrats, independents, and Republicans consider the current level too low.
What to watch
The credit card rate cap arrives with both bipartisan polling support and a prior presidential commitment, making it the clearest near-term legislative test. Warren's child care proposal would cap family costs at no more than 7% of income. The 2032 Social Security date is the hardest deadline on the table: if Congress does not act on the payroll tax cap before then, benefits face automatic cuts.
Related reading
Filed by the newsroom of MarketPR on July 17, 2026. Source: foxnews.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.