House GOP Alters Trump-Backed Housing Bill as Speaker Pushes Bipartisan Path

President Donald Trump pressed Congress on Monday to deliver a housing affordability victory before November's midterm elections. He called on the House to quickly approve a Senate-passed bill that has stalled in the lower chamber for months. House Republicans resisted and advanced their own version instead.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said earlier this week that Republicans and Democrats would unite on a bipartisan, bicameral measure for the president's desk. "I think everybody feels like it's important, so we're just working out some nuances," Johnson said.

Senior House lawmakers unveiled a revised edition of the Senate's 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on Thursday. The measure could come to a House vote as early as next week. Any modifications would require the Senate to revisit it, delaying delivery to Trump.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a lead author of the Senate bill, declined to confirm talks with House members on adjustments. She said time was short. "There’s a housing crisis out there," Warren said. "This bill can pass today if the House would just put it on the floor and vote on it. We need to get started, and if the House has more ideas than they'd like to add, start another bill."

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., dismissed concerns about delays. "We cannot take the Senate bill to the floor," Harris told Fox News Digital this week.

The Senate approved the bill in March with fewer than a dozen votes against it, a rarity in the divided Congress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the simplest path forward is for the House to pass the Senate version. "It's been sitting over there for a while and the president’s weighed in on it. I think, you know, the White House made it clear, they would like to see the House pick up and pass the Senate bill," Thune said. "We’ve done what we can do. It's in the court of the House now."

The House version drops a Senate provision targeting the build-to-rent market, which conservatives called excessive government meddling. That clause would have forced some developers to sell single-family rental homes within seven years of construction. Opponents said such properties offer affordable options for renters and that the rule could shrink rental supply.

"We’ve got to make sure we do it in a right way that continues to keep free markets," Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said. He added that the Senate clause could make housing "impossible" for some to access.

The House bill also keeps a ban on central bank digital currencies through 2030, matching the Senate measure. Conservatives criticized the Senate for not making the prohibition permanent. "It has to be permanent," Cloud said. "We've got to put the nail in the coffin on it."

House Financial Services Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., a co-author of the House plan, said it aligns with Trump's homeownership goals. "It cuts unnecessary barriers to new home construction, modernizes HUD programs, and allows banks to more freely deploy funding into their communities," Hill said in a statement Thursday. "We must get this right — and I am committed to working hard to do that."

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who opposed the Senate bill, welcomed House changes. He said federal action cannot fix housing costs. "If you wanted to actually reduce housing costs, it's local governments who are gonna have to allow more houses to be built," Scott told Fox News Digital.