U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs ranking member urges broader affordability action after housing law takes effect

In an op-ed published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren argued that the newly enacted 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act shows Congress can still pass cost-lowering legislation even without active presidential support. She framed the measure as the largest housing bill in more than 30 years and said lawmakers should treat it as a starting point for a wider affordability agenda rather than an end point. Warren highlighted the law's core housing measures as federal incentives for communities to build more housing, removal of outdated rules to speed construction, lower costs for manufactured housing and restrictions on private equity buying single-family homes. She then called for additional congressional action in other cost-of-living areas, including a 10% cap on credit card interest rates, stronger tools against grocery price gouging and anticompetitive practices, legislation to lower prescription drug costs and address healthcare consolidation, elimination of the Social Security payroll tax cap, an increase in the federal minimum wage and childcare policies that would cap costs at 7% of income while expanding supply and wages for childcare workers.