WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Gallego (D-AZ) voted to advance a landmark bipartisan housing package during a historic Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs’ legislative markup. This is the committee’s first bipartisan housing markup in almost two decades.
The ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, which unanimously passed out of committee with bipartisan support, includes Senator Gallego’s measures to boost the nation’s housing supply, improve housing affordability, and strengthen oversight and efficiency of federal housing programs and regulators.
The bill will now move to the Senate floor for full debate and final passage. If passed, it would represent one of the most significant federal investments in housing reform in a generation.
Watch Senator Gallego’s remarks HERE.
“Arizona used to be an affordable place, now even Arizona is not affordable. People are finding no matter where they go, it’s unaffordable. It’s stopping Americans from achieving that first American dream. Psychologically, these kids are hurting. Adults are hurting because their parents got a home but they can’t. In some regards they think it’s their fault, but in reality, the market has been so distorted for a lot of reasons. Some is overregulation on our part, some is the market in general, some is zoning. But at least we in Congress have decided to step up and do something in a bipartisan manner,” said Senator Gallego. “I’m proud of the bills that I have put in here. They will focus on streamlining permitting, fixing outdated language, and I’m glad we are doing this.”
Several of Senator Gallego’s bills were included in the package, including the:
- Housing Affordability Act – to require the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to study multifamily loan limits and then grants HUD rulemaking authority, with FHA input, to adjust those limits to better match housing market costs and enhance affordability. This could unlock a pathway for HUD to create 10,000 units annually.
- Housing Supply Expansion Act – to modernize the federal definition of “manufactured housing” to include modular and prefabricated units not built on a permanent chassis to encourage innovation and expand naturally occurring affordable housing.
- Appraisal Industry Improvement Act – to address the nationwide shortage of licensed home appraisers and improve access to housing in rural and tribal communities.
- VA Home Loan Awareness Act –to add a disclosure to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s uniform residential loan application form and help ensure veterans are made aware of their home loan benefits, which may provide a more affordable lending option.
- Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act – to permanently excludes veterans’ disability compensation from annual income calculations under the HUD-VASH program to help more homeless veterans access VA housing.
- HUD-USDA-VA Interagency Coordination Act – to direct HUD, USDA, and the VA to identify areas for collaboration to streamline and improve housing program implementation.
- Streamlining Rural Housing Act – to direct HUD and USDA to coordinate on joint environmental reviews for housing projects funded by both agencies.
In addition to the priorities outlined in Senator Gallego’s bills, the package includes measures to:
- Expand and Preserve Housing Supply:
- Remove regulatory barriers to housing development
- Increase and preserve existing housing
- Promote innovative construction methods, including to expand access to modular and manufactured housing
- Addresses neighborhood blight and supports communities recovering from natural disasters
- Improve Housing Affordability and Access:
- Expand access to homeownership
- Improve housing affordability
- Promote housing opportunities for veterans
- Reduce homelessness
- Reduce appraisal shortages while addressing inaccurate appraisals
- Advance Accountability and Fiscal Responsibility:
- Ensure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently
- Promote evidence-based policy solutions
- Improve Oversight and Program Integrity:
- Strengthen oversight of housing regulators
- Streamline program coordination
- Ensure performance, transparency, and accountability across housing programs
A section-by-section of the bill can be found HERE.
Full legislative text of the bill can be found HERE.
The bill is supported by a wide range of state and local officials, housing and consumer advocacy groups, industry associations, and civil rights organizations.
7/29/25