President Donald Trump pledged Monday to make homeownership more attainable for Americans priced out of the market, telling a Department of Housing and Urban Development event that his administration is working to restore the “American dream” of owning a home.
Trump made the comments in video remarks to HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall, a five-day event that features full-scale models of manufactured, 3D-printed and modular homes and runs through Wednesday. He said the administration is focused on reducing regulatory barriers for builders and speeding permitting to expand supply, and he repeated a campaign promise to slash what he called costly regulations.
The pledge comes as housing affordability is near a four-decade low and homeownership is declining. U.S. Census Bureau data show the homeownership rate fell to 65 percent in the second quarter of 2025, the lowest level since 2019. Economists and housing advocates point to high prices relative to incomes and elevated mortgage costs as key drivers of the squeeze; nearly half of renter households are considered cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of income on housing.
Trump offered few specifics about new programs or federal funding but repeated that the administration has reduced permitting delays and eliminated regulations, saying those steps, combined with lower inflation, have helped bring down mortgage rates and energy costs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed this month that administration officials are studying potential emergency measures to reduce closing costs and to promote national standards for local building and zoning codes.
The idea of invoking emergency powers to address housing affordability drew attention last week after Trump said he was considering declaring a national housing emergency this fall. Administration officials have framed such moves as ways to cut transaction costs and streamline rules that vary widely among states and localities, but experts note that most land-use and zoning authority resides with state and local governments.
HUD Deputy Secretary Andrew Hughes used the showcase’s opening remarks to link homeownership with opportunity, saying “nothing proclaims independence and opportunity as much as owning your own home” and praising private-sector innovation as the long-term answer to supply shortfalls. HUD Secretary Scott Turner and other administration officials have emphasized market-based approaches at the showcase, highlighting technologies and building methods intended to lower costs.
Housing advocates and policy analysts say federal action can influence financing, tax incentives and disaster-related responses, but that dramatic shifts in supply depend on local zoning, infrastructure and municipal permitting rules. Any federal emergency declaration would therefore face legal and political hurdles if it sought to override longstanding state and local control over land use.
Trump’s remarks come amid broader political pressure to address the housing crunch as prices and rents remain stretched for many households. The administration’s approach centers on cutting federal regulatory burdens and promoting private development, while administration officials weigh more sweeping measures that could include targeted emergency actions aimed at lowering upfront costs for buyers.
Officials at HUD said the showcase aims to spotlight technologies and approaches that could increase housing production and reduce costs, but timelines for any new federal actions remain unclear. Analysts caution that even with federal support, boosting homeownership rates will require coordinated action across federal, state and local governments, plus sustained private-sector investment and changes in land-use policy that can take years to implement.