The bill would leverage federal funding to build nearly three million new housing units
Build nearly 3 million new housing units using federal funding.
Occurrences
bring down rents by 10% for American families
create incentives for local governments to eliminate unnecessary land use restrictions that drive up costs
Down payment assistance to first-time, first-generation homebuyers
VA-guaranteed home loan eligibility for descendants of certain veterans
A grant program for communities with an appraisal gap
Limit the role of private equity in the housing market
Hold financial institutions accountable for providing access to credit for all Americans
Promote mobility by strengthening anti-discrimination laws and improving the housing voucher program
Increase the amount of accessible housing
Evidence
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
The bill: "Leverages federal funding to build nearly 3 million new housing units – bringing down rents for lower-income and middle-class families by 10% according to an independent analysis from Moody’s Analytics."
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Sponsor: Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (Introduced 03/11/2025). Latest Action: House - 03/27/2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. This bill has the status Introduced.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
"The bill would leverage federal funding to build nearly three million new housing units" and "would build or rehabilitate nearly 3 million housing units over the next decade."
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Cleaver's office said the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law on July 11, 2026 and was introduced in the House by Cleaver with Hill, Waters, and Flood. The statement says the law includes an Innovation Fund first proposed in the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, authorizing a seven-year $200 million annual competitive grant program for jurisdictions pursuing increased housing supply.
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Congress.gov lists H.R.2038 as sponsored by Rep. Cleaver and introduced on March 11, 2025. Its latest action remains House referral to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on March 27, 2025, and the tracker lists the bill status as Introduced.
Assessments
The full promise was to use federal funding to build nearly 3 million new housing units. Cleaver sponsored H.R.2038, the bill tied directly to that target, but Congress.gov evidence shows it remained only introduced/referred and did not become law. However, Cleaver also helped enact the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in July 2026, which included a narrower housing-supply Innovation Fund drawn from the same policy agenda. That is meaningful same-term partial progress, but not delivery of the nearly 3 million-unit federal funding outcome.
Cleaver sponsored and reintroduced the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2025, which expressly aimed to leverage federal funding to build or rehabilitate nearly 3 million housing units. However, as of the current Congress.gov record, H.R.2038 remains at the Introduced stage with latest action referral to subcommittee on March 27, 2025, and there is no evidence the promised housing construction/funding outcome was enacted or delivered. This is a serious legislative attempt, so effort credit applies, but the promised outcome was not fulfilled.
The promise was to build nearly 3 million new housing units using federal funding. The evidence shows Cleaver introduced or reintroduced legislation intended to achieve that goal, but Congress.gov indicates the 2025 bill remained at the introduced/referred-to-subcommittee stage. There is no evidence the promised housing units were funded, authorized, built, or rehabilitated. Because he made a serious legislative attempt but the promised outcome was not delivered, the outcome is never with an effort badge.