US enacts sweeping housing reform to expand affordable housing

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan Senate housing bill, automatically became law in the United States on July 11, 2026. Officially named the "Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act," it is hailed as the most significant housing measure since the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 and described as "the most comprehensive housing legislation in decades." Amid a global housing crisis, the law reforms federal housing programs, expands available financing options, provides subsidies to communities, addresses regulatory requirements for construction, and tackles the concentration of property ownership. This legislation joins global initiatives for adequate housing, such as short-term rental limits and taxes on vacant units.