Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-06-16

21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT

TaxesForeign PolicyTradeHousingVeteransAgriculture

Context

On 2026-06-16, Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) delivered a floor speech titled "21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT" in the Senate.

Full Text

21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 101 (Tuesday, June 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 101 (Tuesday, June 16, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2814-S2815] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] 21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have come to address our ROAD to Housing bill, which we will vote on in a few minutes. At the top of the list, I want to thank Senator Warren for her diligence, her hard work, her intelligence, and her ability to reach out and take good ideas and synthesize them into outstanding legislation. I want to thank all of my colleagues--my Democratic colleagues in particular on the Banking Committee--who worked so hard on this bill, and there are inputs from every one of them that make housing more affordable and easier to afford for so many people across the country. I want to thank Senator Scott for cooperating, and I want to thank all of the leaderships for getting this bill to the floor. This is such a crucial issue for Americans, and it had been forgotten and neglected for too long until our Banking Committee Dems turned their attention to it, until our caucus turned its attention to it. For too long, Americans have struggled with rising housing costs. It hurts renters and homeowners alike. Most Americans don't know this tragic fact--that the median age for a new home buyer in America is now 40 years old--40 years old. The housing shortage is nothing less than an existential threat to the American dream. Americans feel financially stuck as renting and buying a home keep getting more and more expensive, more and more out of reach. Lowering housing costs is absolutely essential to ending the affordability crisis plaguing working families across the country. The ROAD to Housing bill is a very important and good, strong first step to making housing more affordable. The bipartisan package includes, as I said, many bills led by Senate Democrats over the years to expand housing supply and lower costs. The bill tackles local zoning and permitting that have kept housing supply from growing. I have long spoken out against the NIMBYism that kills so many projects in our communities that are desperately needed. Our legislation supports new manufactured and modular housing so we can build more, faster, and it will revitalize blighted properties and convert these buildings into new housing. That includes building more housing in rural communities that need more housing than ever before. The bill also increases housing fairness and access, including addressing housing needs for veterans and reducing homelessness. Crucially, our bill will bring more certainty in our disaster response to help communities recover. This bill makes sure people are not squeezed out of the market of buying a home by institutional investors. I want to reiterate that this isn't the end of the road--far from it; it is just the start. In future years, we need to do even more to make that dream of owning a home a reality for more and more and more Americans. We need to do so much more, and much more will be needed to address the Nation's housing cost crisis as well. Senate Democrats will continue to make this a priority. We have wanted this to be a priority for a long time, and finally, we have taken that first step with the cooperation of our Republican colleagues. We need to make a priority downpayment assistance, reducing mortgage insurance costs, and doing even more to expand housing supply as well as to lower costs. So congratulations once again to Senator Warren, to the many Senate Democrats who have led crucial pieces of this bill, and to the whole Chamber, Democrats and Republicans, for finally taking a much needed step in reducing costs of housing and increasing its supply. [[Page S2815]] I yield the floor. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

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21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 101 (Tuesday, June 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 101 (Tuesday, June 16, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2814-S2815] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] 21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have come to address our ROAD to Housing bill, which we will vote on in a few minutes. At the top of the list, I want to thank Senator Warren for her diligence, her hard work, her intelligence, and her ability to reach out and take good ideas and synthesize them into outstanding legislation. I want to thank all of my colleagues--my Democratic colleagues in particular on the Banking Committee--who worked so hard on this bill, and there are inputs from every one of them that make housing more affordable and easier to afford for so many people across the country. I want to thank Senator Scott for cooperating, and I want to thank all of the leaderships for getting this bill to the floor. This is such a crucial issue for Americans, and it had been forgotten and neglected for too long until our Banking Committee Dems turned their attention to it, until our caucus turned its attention to it. For too long, Americans have struggled with rising housing costs. It hurts renters and homeowners alike. Most Americans don't know this tragic fact--that the median age for a new home buyer in America is now 40 years old--40 years old. The housing shortage is nothing less than an existential threat to the American dream. Americans feel financially stuck as renting and buying a home keep getting more and more expensive, more and more out of reach. Lowering housing costs is absolutely essential to ending the affordability crisis plaguing working families across the country. The ROAD to Housing bill is a very important and good, strong first step to making housing more affordable. The bipartisan package includes, as I said, many bills led by Senate Democrats over the years to expand housing supply and lower costs. The bill tackles local zoning and permitting that have kept housing supply from growing. I have long spoken out against the NIMBYism that kills so many projects in our communities that are desperately needed. Our legislation supports new manufactured and modular housing so we can build more, faster, and it will revitalize blighted properties and convert these buildings into new housing. That includes building more housing in rural communities that need more housing than ever before. The bill also increases housing fairness and access, including addressing housing needs for veterans and reducing homelessness. Crucially, our bill will bring more certainty in our disaster response to help communities recover. This bill makes sure people are not squeezed out of the market of buying a home by institutional investors. I want to reiterate that this isn't the end of the road--far from it; it is just the start. In future years, we need to do even more to make that dream of owning a home a reality for more and more and more Americans. We need to do so much more, and much more will be needed to address the Nation's housing cost crisis as well. Senate Democrats will continue to make this a priority. We have wanted this to be a priority for a long time, and finally, we have taken that first step with the cooperation of our Republican colleagues. We need to make a priority downpayment assistance, reducing mortgage insurance costs, and doing even more to expand housing supply as well as to lower costs. So congratulations once again to Senator Warren, to the many Senate Democrats who have led crucial pieces of this bill, and to the whole Chamber, Democrats and Republicans, for finally taking a much needed step in reducing costs of housing and increasing its supply. [[Page S2815]] I yield the floor. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________