Well, here we go again. Another administration, another promise to fix America’s housing mess with a shiny new declaration. This time it’s Trump and the White House, floating the idea of a National Housing Emergency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already called it an “all hands on deck” moment. Sounds bold, right? But I can’t help thinking—haven’t we seen this movie before?
For the past 25 years, the numbers tell a story no declaration can sugarcoat. Median rents have climbed 21%. Median income? A measly 2%. And 40% of U.S. households now pay more than 30% of their take-home pay just to keep a roof overhead. That’s not just a “housing challenge”—that’s a slow-motion crisis. And it’s been ignored or half-fixed so many times, you can forgive people for rolling their eyes when Washington suddenly remembers housing exists.
The Big Problem Nobody Wants to Untangle
Declaring an emergency makes a great headline, but the truth is this: housing is a many-headed monster. Cut off one head—say high interest rates—and two more grow back: restrictive zoning and climbing insurance premiums. Attack stagnant wages, and rising building codes or tariffs eat up the gains. Add climate change to the mix, and suddenly building affordable homes requires resilience that costs more than ever.
So where should the White House put its attention? Everywhere. And that’s exactly the problem. Housing touches wages, land use, lending, local politics, building materials, labor shortages—you name it. That’s why so many past “big housing pushes” have flamed out. Politicians want a silver bullet; housing needs a Swiss Army knife.
What Might Actually Help
To be fair, some ideas on the table could matter. Standardizing zoning and permitting, if it ever made it past the local fiefdoms, could speed up supply. Allowing low mortgage rates to transfer from one home to the next could free up a frozen resale market. Cutting closing costs would at least throw a lifeline to first-time buyers drowning in fees.
But none of these matter if we don’t build more homes. Supply is the beating heart of the problem. And that means tackling NIMBY zoning, unlocking federal land, and making sure developers can actually afford to build without waiting a decade for payback. It also means not piling on well-intentioned but costly regulations that make “affordable housing” unaffordable before the foundation is even poured.
The Fear: Another Half-Step
I’d love to believe this is the moment Washington finally gets serious about housing. But I’ve been around long enough to recognize the pattern: grand declarations, press conferences, maybe even a task force or two. Then reality sets in—every state, every city, every lobby group pulls in a different direction. By the time the dust settles, the so-called emergency has quietly evaporated into another “Well, we tried our best” shrug.
And meanwhile, rents keep climbing, incomes keep stagnating, and families keep choosing between paying the landlord or buying groceries.
My Takeaway
So yes, here we go again. Another administration deciding housing is too important to ignore—until it isn’t. The numbers won’t magically reverse, and the monster won’t slay itself. If Trump and his team want this emergency to mean something, they’ll have to do what every administration before them hasn’t: stay the course, fight through the pushback, and commit to long-term solutions that outlive the headlines.
Otherwise, it’ll be just another “emergency” that fizzled out before it even started.
.
With over 9,000 published articles on modular and offsite construction, Gary Fleisher remains one of the most trusted voices in the industry.
.
CLICK HERE to read the latest edition
Contact Gary Fleisher
