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Womack Votes for Housing for the 21st Century Act to Expand Affordability and Availability of Homes

Washington, February 9, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C.— February 9, 2026… Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today voted in support of H.R. 6644, the Housing for the 21st Century Act. This legislation aims to promote housing affordability by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers and modernizing critical federal programs.

The bill also includes a proposal championed by Congressman Womack to expand the eligible use of certain federal funds to allow for the construction of new low- and moderate-income affordable housing.

Congressman Womack said, “Housing affordability concerns are growing across the country, but especially in Northwest Arkansas, where we are experiencing tremendous and unprecedented growth. This legislation addresses those concerns by targeting the root causes of housing shortages which leave us with too few and increasingly expensive homes. By modernizing and streamlining the regulations that guide housing development, we can build more homes and ensure that Americans and their families have access to affordable places to live and the opportunity to own homes of their own. I commend Arkansas’s own, House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, for leading this legislation and urge my colleagues in the Senate to consider it with urgency.”

Bill highlights

Promotes housing supply and affordability by:

  • Expanding the eligible use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program funds to allow for the construction of new low- and moderate-income affordable housing. The CDBG Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to expand economic opportunities and improve housing and living conditions for low- and moderate-income communities.
  • Creating a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program to assist state, local, and tribal governments, as well as regional planning agencies, in updating their regulatory and permitting processes to increase housing production and affordability.
  • Authorizing a Federal Housing Administration pilot program for small-dollar mortgages to assist mortgagors with down payments, closing costs, appraisals, and title insurance.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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