The Senate on October 9, 2025 passed the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act of 2025 (ROAD to Housing Act) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026 (NDAA). LeadingAge supports the bill.

Cosponsored by Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), this bi-partisan legislation would reauthorize and reform the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) HOME program in several ways, including eliminating the 24-month commitment deadline for HOME funds and streamlining the property inspection process for HOME-assisted properties.

The bill would create a new HUD program, for owners and some small landlords, to address home repair needs and health hazards for homes occupied by households with low incomes. The ROAD to Housing Act would also make changes to HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) housing preservation program, including removing the cap on the number of public housing units that could be preserved by RAD.

To help preserve affordable multifamily housing in rural areas, the ROAD to Housing bill would also authorize decoupling of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rental assistance from maturing Section 515 mortgages.

The House has no ROAD to Housing Act counterpart. A House Financial Services Committee housing hearing scheduled for October 15 but postponed due to the government shutdown could be the precursor to developing the House’s counterpart during negotiations for a final NDAA bill. Markups of “various measures” are still on the Committee’s calendar for late October.

The NDAA, the annual funding bill for the Department of Defense, is often layered with unrelated items because it is seen as a “must pass” vehicle for unrelated items to become enacted.

A section-by-section summary of the ROAD to Housing Act, is here.