Weekly Recap: Senate Passes Landmark Housing Act, DHS Shutdown Hits Day 28 - Week of March 9-13, 2026

The Senate produced its most significant bipartisan achievement of the 119th Congress this week, passing a sweeping housing reform bill 89-10. That headline number stood in sharp contrast to a simultaneous storyline: the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security dragged into its fourth week after cloture failed for the fourth consecutive time. Below is a breakdown of the week's key Senate votes - all seven roll call votes (#48-54) from March 9-13, 2026.

Story #1: Senate Passes Housing Act 89-10 - The Most Bipartisan Vote of the 119th Congress

On March 12, 2026, the Senate passed H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, by a vote of 89 YEA - 10 NAY - 1 Not Voting. That margin makes it one of the most lopsided bipartisan final-passage votes of the current Congress on major domestic legislation.

The bill was Senate Vote #53 in the 119th Congress, 2nd Session, recorded at 11:33 AM on March 12. It required only a simple majority to pass, but the 89-vote margin speaks to an unusual alignment across party lines.

The Senate vote was on a substitute amendment (S.Amdt. 4308) championed jointly by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member - merging the original House bill with the Senate's standalone ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651). The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. J. French Hill (R-AR).

What the Bill Does

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act addresses the housing affordability crisis through four core pillars, without adding new mandatory federal spending:

• Cutting red tape: New NEPA categorical exclusions for low-impact HUD projects, streamlining federal permitting to accelerate housing construction timelines.
• Unlocking housing supply: Reforms to the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, plus expanded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) use for housing construction - up to 20% of CDBG funds can now fund new builds.
• Institutional investor restrictions: A ban on large institutional investors owning 350 or more single-family homes from purchasing additional properties. The bill includes a 7-year divestment timeline with exemptions for built-to-rent, rent-to-own, and renovate-to-rent operators. This provision aligns with a White House executive order directing agencies to stop Wall Street from competing with first-time buyers.
• Rural and workforce housing: The RESIDE Act converts abandoned and vacant properties into attainable housing for households at or below 120% of Area Median Income. Rural reforms decouple Section 515 rental assistance from expiring USDA mortgages, preserving affordable rural housing.

Sen. Scott noted on the floor: "I urge this body to vote yes on this bill, and let's create more homeowners at an earlier age. The age of affordability is now." During his floor remarks, Scott cited a data point: the average age of a first-time homebuyer in the United States is now 40 years old - a figure Scott used to underscore the scale of the housing affordability challenge the bill is designed to address.

The 10 No Votes

Despite the overwhelming passage, ten senators voted against the bill. Nine are Republicans and one is a Democrat - a notable cross-party split on the NAY side. All nine Republican dissenters had previously opposed other major spending or regulatory bills in the 119th Congress:

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was the sole Not Voting member. Sen. Schatz (D-HI) was the sole Democrat to vote against the bill.

The bill now returns to the House, which must vote on whether to concur with the Senate's substitute amendment. The House previously passed its original version of H.R. 6644 on February 9, 2026. If the House concurs, it proceeds to President Trump for signature.

The Housing Bill's Path to Final Passage: Votes #50-52

The 89-10 final passage vote on March 12 was the culmination of three procedural Senate votes earlier in the week, each required to advance the bill to a final vote:

The four-vote sequence (cloture on amendment → adopt amendment → cloture on bill → final passage) is standard Senate procedure for major legislation with a substitute amendment. The bill cleared all four hurdles without a failed vote - an outcome that reflects the bill's strong bipartisan support at each stage.

Story #2: DHS Shutdown Enters Day 28 - Fourth Cloture Failure

The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security entered its 28th consecutive day on March 13, 2026. The Senate attempted - and failed - for the fourth time to advance a DHS funding bill on March 12, when cloture on H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for FY2026, was rejected by a vote of 51 YEA - 46 NAY (Senate Vote #54).

Cloture requires 60 votes. The 51-vote result fell nine votes short, the closest the Senate has come to advancing the bill - but still not close enough.

The Shutdown's Political Anatomy

The shutdown began on February 14, 2026, after the Senate failed to pass DHS appropriations before a funding deadline. The core dispute: Senate Democrats have withheld support for the funding bill following the killing of Alex Pretti by CBP agents on January 24, 2026. Democrats have conditioned their support on reforms to CBP and ICE accountability. Republicans have declined to incorporate those reforms.

A complete record of cloture attempts on H.R. 7147:

Two noteworthy votes on the March 12 cloture motion: Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the Majority Leader, voted NAY - a procedural tactic that preserves the option to file a motion to reconsider. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voted YEA, the only Democrat to cross over in support of advancing the funding bill.

The real-world effects of the shutdown continue to accumulate. TSA security officers, U.S. Coast Guard personnel, and other DHS workers have been working without pay since February 14. Congress has separately blocked Republican-sponsored measures to fund specific DHS components individually, maintaining the all-or-nothing standoff.

Story #3: Senate Confirms Lt. Gen. Rudd to Lead CYBERCOM and NSA - 71-29

On March 10, 2026, the Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd to be promoted to four-star General and assume dual command of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) and the National Security Agency (NSA), by a vote of 71-29 (Senate Vote #49). The Senate had voted 68-28 to invoke cloture on Rudd's nomination on March 9 (Vote #48).

Rudd is a Special Operations officer nominated by President Trump to lead both of the nation's premier cyber and signals intelligence agencies. The 71-29 confirmation margin included bipartisan support, with a number of Democrats joining Republicans. The nomination (PN711) was processed through the Senate Armed Services Committee.

This Week by the Numbers

House Activity This Week

The House was not in session for floor votes this week. No recorded House roll call votes were held between March 9 and 13. The House previously completed its legislative work on both major bills covered this week: H.R. 6644 passed the House on February 9, 2026, and H.R. 7147 passed the House on January 22, 2026 (220-207). A revised DHS funding bill, H.R. 7744, also cleared the House by a vote of 221-209 during the week of March 2-6. The House is expected to return for floor votes beginning March 16.

What to Watch Next Week

The housing bill heads to the House for a concurrence vote on the Senate's substitute amendment. A quick turnaround is possible given the 89-vote Senate margin. On the DHS shutdown front, the political math has not shifted materially through four cloture votes - watch whether leadership pursues a revised package or continues to press for closure on H.R. 7147 or H.R. 7744. The Senate is also expected to take up additional nominations and potentially begin work on the next legislative package.