As far as I remember, the program has always done this. I am positive it has done this for the since 2018 (see next paragraph).
Up until a couple of years ago (2018), Section 179 was NOT allowed for residential rental properties, so I suspect you might be misremembering what you had done in prior years (unless you are referring to non-residential rentals).
As a side note, is there a reason why you are using Section 179 rather then the Special Depreciation Allowance ("Bonus" depreciation)? Or even using the De Minimis election to just deduct the expense?
