Senate Advances Sweeping Housing Bill, Includes Ban On Institutional Buyers Of Single-Family Homes

Features

Senate Advances Sweeping Housing Bill, Includes Ban On Institutional Buyers Of Single-Family Homes
 
Published Wednesday, March 4, 2026 11:00 am
by Emily Wishingrad

This is a summary

"The Senate this week is advancing a wide-ranging package that could become the biggest legislative action taken on housing in decades. 

The latest version of the Senate's bill pairs legislative efforts around affordability and housing production with a Trump administration objective to ban institutional investment in single-family homes."

Read the original on Bisnow

Senate Advances Sweeping Housing Bill, Includes Ban On Institutional Buyers Of Single-Family Homes| Bisnow

Image credit to Bisnow


Send this page to a friend

Senate Advances Sweeping Housing Bill, Includes Ban On Institutional Buyers Of Single-Family Homes| Bisnow

Recent News

Senate Advances Sweeping Housing Bill, Includes Ban On Institutional Buyers Of Single-Family Homes

The Senate advanced the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with an 84-6 bipartisan vote, combining affordability and housing production measures with a Trump administration proposal to ban institutional investment in single-family homes. The bill defines institutional investors as companies owning 350 or more homes and includes exemptions for homes built to rent, with the White House indicating President Trump would sign it if passed as written.  Key provisions include simplifying National Environmental Protection Act review processes to reduce construction delays, increasing Federal Housing Administration multifamily loan limits, changing manufactured housing definitions to spur construction, and supporting housing development in opportunity zones and Community Development Block Grant jurisdictions. The legislation, authored by Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren, still requires a final Senate vote and must be reconciled with the House bill before reaching the president's desk. 

Supreme Court rules against Trump tariffs

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are unconstitutional, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that Trump lacked peacetime authority to use IEEPA to impose tariffs. The decision strikes down tariffs that initially imposed at least 10% on goods from most countries, with rates reaching up to 145% on Chinese imports and 25-35% on Canadian and Mexican goods, and could require the government to refund over $130 billion collected through these tariffs. Before Trump, no president had ever used IEEPA to impose tariffs, and the ruling invalidates many but not all of Trump's tariff programs, as it doesn't affect tariffs imposed under other legal authorities. The administration has indicated plans to reimpose tariffs using alternative statutes including Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, and Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, though these come with more procedural requirements and time limitations. 

Eddie Bauer files for bankruptcy, begins winding down all stores in the US and Canada

Eddie Bauer LLC, the entity responsible for operating the brand's brick-and-mortar footprint in North America, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 9, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, marking the end of the brand's century-long presence as a major physical retailer. Going-out-of-business sales have already begun across all 175 locations, which are set to close by April 30 unless a buyer emerges, with the brick-and-mortar operations carrying liabilities of more than $1 billion against assets of just $100 million to $500 million. The filing cites declining sales, supply chain challenges, ongoing inflation, and tariff uncertainty as key drivers, while the brand's e-commerce and wholesale operations — now managed by a separate entity called Outdoor 5 LLC — remain unaffected.  The bankruptcy marks the third filing for the storied brand, which was founded in Seattle in 1920, and follows a string of high-profile retail collapses in early 2026 including Saks Global and Francesca's.