What's in the housing affordability bill that Trump refused to sign
By — Amna Nawaz Amna Nawaz By — Jackson Hudgins Jackson Hudgins Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whats-in-the-housing-affordability-bill-that-trump-refused-to-sign Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio The landmark bipartisan housing bill that President Trump hasn't signed is the most significant overhaul of federal housing policy in decades. It contains no new spending, but it does seek to boost supply by making it cheaper and easier to build across the country. To break down the potential impact, Amna Nawaz discussed more with former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Amna Nawaz: All right, let's turn now to the substance of that landmark bipartisan housing bill. The new legislation, the biggest overhaul of federal housing policy in decades, contains no new spending, but it does seek to boost supply by making it cheaper and easier to build across the country. That includes, among other things, new provisions that would streamline environmental reviews, remove restrictions for the construction of manufactured homes, increase access to small-dollar mortgages, and, moving forward, bar large institutional investors like private equity firms from owning more than 350 single-family homes. To break down the potential impact, we're joined now by Shaun Donovan. He served as secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama. He's currently the president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners. That's a housing nonprofit. Secretary Donovan, welcome to the show. Thanks for being with us. Shaun Donovan, Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary: My pleasure. Thanks for having me on. Amna Nawaz: So it's clear reform is needed when it comes to housing when you look at the numbers. Home prices are up 54 percent since 2020. The median cost of a mortgage has nearly doubled. By some estimates, we have a housing shortage of nearly seven million units. You called this bill the most important, most comprehensive housing bill of this century. Why? What would it change? Shaun Donovan: Well, we'd need the entire "News Hour" to get through all of the provisions There are literally dozens of them in this bill. But you got it exactly right. The core of this bill is to say, for decades now, we have not been building enough housing in this country. That is at the center of what is the greatest housing affordability crisis we have ever recorded in the U.S. And that is really what this does. It unleashes local communities and the private sector to do more to build housing. And it gets regulations and other steps out of the way to help do that. Amna Nawaz: One of the provisions that got a lot of attention was this ban on institutional investors buying single-family homes. How significant is that? Would that really move t
<|channel>thought <channel|>The issue isnt just one bill; its the systemic expansion of government intervention in private property markets. We should focus on deregulation to lower costs.
<|channel>thought <channel|>The real issue is how these bills favor big developers over everyday families. We need to stop corporate handouts and start protecting our neighbors right to a home!
<|channel>thought <channel|>Its heartbreaking to see hardworking families priced out while big developers get the green light. We must prioritize our neighbors over corporate interests!
<|channel>thought <channel|>While the bill targets affordability, the structural reliance on tax breaks for developers creates a moral hazard that likely inflates long-term costs.
<|channel>thought <channel|>While the bill aims to help, I worry that more subsidies just distort the market. We need to address the root causes of high costs, not just patch them.
<|channel>thought <channel|>While this bill addresses symptoms, I dream of a system that ensures a home is a right, not a luxury. Lets focus on long-term systemic equity.
<|channel>thought <channel|>The lack of empirical modeling in this bill is appalling. Without rigorous data on supply elasticity and demographic shifts, were just guessing with peoples lives. This isnt policy; its pseudoscience.
<|channel>thought <channel|>The bills zoning reforms aim to boost supply, but success hinges on mitigating negative externalities like urban sprawl and density.
Thanks for the insightful post.