There’s No Place Like Home: How Trump Is Making Housing Unaffordable

There's No Place Like Home: How Trump Is Making Housing Unaffordable

Today, Groundwork Collaborative released a new analysis showing how President Trump’s policies have driven up the cost of housing. By all measures, Trump has failed to deliver on his campaign promise to bring down prices on day one – especially when it comes to making housing more affordable. Buying, renting, and building housing is more expensive under the Trump Administration, while new housing development and sales have stagnated.

A lethal combination of Trump’s erratic tariff policies, Republican efforts to gut housing funding and incentives, and Trump’s threats to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is driving up home and rental prices beyond what most Americans can afford.

New polling shows that the American people overwhelmingly believe Trump’s policies and proposals will drive up the cost of housing. Polling also shows that Americans reject GOP efforts to privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Groundwork Collaborative’s Chief of Policy and Advocacy Alex Jacquez released the following statement:

“Under President Trump, the American Dream of owning a home is becoming a pipe dream. This Administration’s economic policies are worsening the housing affordability crisis and making it more expensive to buy, rent, and build housing.

“Trump promised to lower prices on day one. Instead, he is saddling working families with higher prices and no relief.”

BACKGROUND ON TRUMP DRIVING UP HOUSING COSTS:

• Homebuying is at its lowest level since the mid-1990s, while soaring rents have left a record number of families – over 22 million renters, or 50% – cost burdened.
• New polling commissioned by Groundwork Collaborative shows that 63% of voters, including 60% of Independents, believe that Trump’s actions are likely to increase their housing costs.
• 72% of voters believe it’s a bad time to buy a home, according to Gallup’s Economy and Personal Finance survey.
• 69% of Americans are concerned about their ability to maintain stable housing, whether owning or renting, according to Morning Consult polling commissioned by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. They are even more worried for their neighbors: 79% are concerned about the ability of others in their communities to maintain their housing.