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Posted on 04/19/2026 9:16:42 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
White House economists estimate the United States has a shortage of 10 million houses, according to a new report out Monday — and say regulatory cuts could lead to more construction to stabilize prices, increase home ownership and fuel faster economic growth.
The analysis, part of the Economic Report of the President, outlines both a political risk and a messaging opportunity for President Donald Trump, whose public approval has slumped because of concerns about his tariffs, the Iran war and his unfulfilled promises to slash inflation and unleash stronger growth.
Trump signed two executive orders in March directing federal agencies to reduce housing regulatory burdens and make it easier for smaller banks to provide mortgages but he’s been slow to take other steps that would show that high housing costs are a top priority for his administration.
The White House has been trying to focus on housing and other affordability issues for months to get ready for what’s expected to be a challenging midterm season for Republicans, but it has been thrown off course by a series of global issues. In January, a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that had been billed as focusing on housing turned into a showdown for Trump over control of Greenland.
Meanwhile, the Iran war has driven up the cost of buying homes, with average rates for 30-year mortgages jumping from just under 6% to 6.37%.
Trump also has argued in favor of keeping home prices high to protect values for existing owners. “I don’t want to drive housing prices down,” Trump told his Cabinet earlier this year. “I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes, and they can be assured that’s what’s going to happen.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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Put together by staff at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, it finds there would be 10 million more houses in the country if “homebuilding and the growth of the single-family housing stock had continued at their historical pace instead of falling dramatically” after the 2008 global financial crisis. That crisis was caused largely by a wave of defaults in the housing market, where prices had been fueled by problematic lending practices.
The analysis notes that home prices have risen 82% since 2000, while incomes are up just 12% — a mismatch that had been masked for a period by historically low mortgage rates. But when rates jumped with inflation in the aftermath of the pandemic, monthly mortgage costs also rose for buyers and affording a home, a signifier of middle class status, became a top concern for voters under 40.
The report says that various regulations on home construction, which it calls “the bureaucrat tax,” add more than $100,000 in costs to building. That cost includes changing the building codes over the past decade, compliance costs and zoning approval fees, among other expenses.
By the report’s estimates, a reduction in those regulatory costs could help spur construction of as many as 13.2 million homes. That could add on average 1.3 percentage points to annual economic growth over the next decade and support 2 million manufacturing and construction jobs, it argues.
Trump could decide to make federal funding to state and local governments contingent on reducing some of the regulations, according to an administration official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the report before its release.
The report also attacks the green energy housing standards introduced during the Biden administration as a factor in increasing construction costs. Those steps gave preferences for more efficient air conditioning units and water heaters as well as higher standards for the related duct work.
Getting rid of 20+ million illegals should go a long way to solving the housing shortage issue.
I wish the government would get the hell out of the way and let the market work.
Actually, we probably have plenty of homes & housing.
It’s just that much of it is in places nobody wants to live anymore.
almost all of the housing deficit can be directly attributed to insane cost increases due to insane local zoning and local building code regulations,especially in blue states and blue cities ... period ... there’s very little that can be done to override that at the Federal level ...
That’s not a bug that’s a feature.
” “I don’t want to drive housing prices down,” Trump told his Cabinet earlier this year. “I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes, and they can be assured that’s what’s going to happen.”
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As much as I support PDJT that statement is just stupid.
If he pushes the price of housing UP he “can be assured” that such a course of action is going to put even MORE US citizens in the street.
Meanwhile the daycare, “Learing centers,” fraudulent hospice centers, Medicare fraud and probably 4-5 other major fields of fraud that haven’t even been discovered yet are costing the US what, a trillion a year?
A trillion a year will go a long way to zero percent home loans for US Citizens and NO, I don’t care how much the bankers screech, screw them and their BS digital money they are absolutely drooling over.
Mass deport the illegals, start a REAL database for guest workers, no housing or medical money for them and GET THE RAGHEADS OUT OF HERE.
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How novel.
This.
Zoning ordinances are local as they should be. However most building codes which are adopted into State statute and are based on nationally or even internationally written and promulgated codes that often reference standards such as ASTM. Prior to adoption amendments will be added to suit local conditions. One example of this is Florida’s building code.
I am curious what part of the building code would you do away with? If you meant local ordinances requiring certain architectural features such as only allowing hip roofs or CBS construction I consider those zoning matters even though they have to meet the building codes.
“Trump could decide to make federal funding to state and local governments contingent on reducing some of the regulations, according to an administration official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the report before its release.”
Trump is way overboard on this. He sure as heck does not have grounds to withhold funding should a state or municipality adopt certain codes and regulations, plans, and/or ordinances. This is 10th Amendment territory. If Trump believes Federal agencies should review their own regulations Hello OSHA. That is another matter. But this is not a legit use of executive authority.
The US has too manyhouses full of people who shouldn’t be here.
Expel illegals, which Trump ran on, and the problem would be more than solved.
Bingo! Add to that... Who the heck can afford a house today? Just because you build them... Doesn’t mean anybody will fill them.
Idiot. Doesn't he want young couples with a solid economic foundation to be able to purchase a house?
Yes, there are many abandoned, crumbling houses around USA.
Some cities spend huge money just to demolishing them, and there are huge empty areas in what used to be busy cities.
Detroit especially is pretty empty.
At least the homeless could be send to those places!
Buy a new house, pay an HOA and Property Taxes, not that smart in my book...
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