Housing

2022

2022-01-01 Either due to lifestyle choice or financial constraints, many Americans started living in their vans. The number reached 1.9M in 2020, and escalated to 3.1M in 2022. Berkshire Hathaway gained a corner on the market by owning the largest RV manufacturers in the country.

https://www.fiftygrande.com/a-dose-of-reality-before-you-embark-on-vanlife/

https://rv-pro.com/features/van-lifers-explain-how-they-embrace-life-on-the-road/

https://www.kiro7.com/news/is-this-why-americans-have-hit-brakes-vanlife-dream/VKZAU2V4FZIKXFDJAAN3UKPUP4/.

https://www.unitedvanlines.com/newsroom/2024-national-movers-study

https://livevanlifefreedom.com/van-life-by-the-numbers-shocking-stats-you-wont-believe/

2024

2024-10-02 Vance claimed, ”Illegal aliens competing with Americans for scarce homes is one of the most significant drivers of home prices in the country”.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-vp-debate-transcript-walz-vance-2024/

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/oct/23/jd-vance/vance-wrongly-blames-rural-hospital-closures-on-im/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-debate-immigration-housing-prices-real-estate-federal-reserve/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/10/02/vance-immigration-housing/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtRPLCso0Sw

2025 January

2025-01-06 The CFPB sued Vanderbilt for setting up borrowers to fail in manufactured home loans. Clayton Homes owns 50% of the manufactured house market, Berkshire Hathaway owns its finance, lease, insurance and property management companies. The allegation: the company makes the home virtually unaffordable after buyers already settled a deal, then take the property back from the buyer later. Homeowners also complained of quality issues such as “congolium”, particle board, heavy leaks, safety issues, cardboard under the vinyl, sheetrock under insulation, and mold.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-sues-vanderbilt-for-setting-borrowers-up-to-fail-in-manufactured-home-loans/

2025 June

2025-06-22 During the affordability crisis more Americans decided to try “tiny home living”.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/us/california-backyard-housing-rent-storage-unit.html

https://www.eagleridgebarnbuilders.com/blog-posts/the-pros-and-cons-of-living-in-a-shed-is-a-cabin-shell-the-perfect-middle-ground

https://qsbuildings.com/blog/life-in-a-shed-the-ultimate-guide-to-downsized-living

https://www.newsbreak.com/survival-world-358566355/4433857625652-realtor-reports-growing-number-of-americans-choosing-sheds-and-folding-tiny-homes-as-permanent-housing

2025 November

2025-11-09 Trump proposed a 50-year mortgage. News outlets reported the idea came from Bill Pulte.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/business/fifty-year-mortgage

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/50-year-mortgage-trump-pulte/

https://apnews.com/article/home-prices-50-year-mortgage-trump-56a931881ca6f6efeccf2de0333a83bd

https://fortune.com/2025/11/12/how-much-would-50-year-morgage-save-per-month-ubs/

2026 January

2026-01-27 Trump said, “I don’t want to drive housing prices down. 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”.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/29/trump-housing-prices-increase-affordability-economy-interest-mortgage-rates/88418610007/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-he-wants-to-drive-housing-prices-up-not-down

https://reason.com/2026/02/02/trump-i-want-to-drive-housing-prices-up/

https://www.housingwire.com/articles/president-trump-says-he-wants-to-keep-home-prices-high-lower-borrowing-costs/

2026 February

2026-02-05 Homeowners saw a return of homeowner debts, calling them zombie mortgages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3drD5g6nL_8&list=WL&index=2&t=8s

2026 March

2026-03-13 The Senate passed a bipartisan bill aimed at lowering housing costs. The bill passed 89 to 10.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-passes-major-housing-affordability-bill-warren-scott-rcna263046

https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/whats-in-the-21st-century-road-to-housing-act/

https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/news/press/three-shaheen-led-bills-to-lower-housing-costs-improve-affordable-housing-pass-in-bipartisan-housing-package

2026 April

2026-04-28 Louisiana advanced HB211 to criminalize being homeless. Under the Streets to Success Act, homeless individuals would be arrested and fined for sleeping in public places. If they cannot pay the fines, they will be forced into hard labor to pay off the fines. In some cases they can be forced into a treatment program for which they would have to pay off with hard labor. Republican State Representative Debbie Villio stated in her proposal, “We aren’t looking to jail anyone, we’re looking to integrate them with the criminal justice system in an effort to connect them with service providers”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5IpSzIir_A&list=WL&index=1&t=614s

https://council.nola.gov/news/april-2026/councilmember-lesli-harris-urges-louisiana-to-reje/

https://www.newsweek.com/thousands-could-be-forced-into-unpaid-labor-in-louisiana-under-new-bill-11888298

https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26rs&b=HB211&sbi=y

https://stateline.org/2025/01/27/many-more-cities-ban-sleeping-outside-despite-a-lack-of-shelter-space/

https://www.addicted.org/paying-for-treatment/cost/louisiana/

https://www.ksla.com/2026/04/22/walk-our-shoes-la-bill-criminalizing-public-camping-draws-criticism-homeless-couple-pastor/

https://www.wafb.com/2026/04/09/louisiana-lawmakers-advance-bill-criminalizing-homeless-encampments/

2026 May

2026-05-04 Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced a state emergency due to rising costs and gas prices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7E9FItIaPk&list=WL&index=6

https://wchstv.com/news/local/ky-governor-andy-beshear-takes-steps-to-lower-price-of-gas

2026-05-23 Trump proposed a budget to entirely cut housing and community development funds. Appropriations committee Tom Cole responded to Trump’s proposed housing and community development cuts, “Remember, the power of the Appropriation Committee is here, and we will make those decisions”.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/23/white-house-housing-funds-republicans-00934353

https://nlihc.org/resource/president-trump-releases-fy27-budget-request-proposing-significant-cuts-hud-programs-and

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/white-house-wants-eliminate-housing-160000708.html

2026-05-26 Mamdani released a housing plan to build affordable housing and reform maintenance code enforcement. The Heritage Foundation wrote a smear campaign against it (of course they did).

https://citylimits.org/mamdanis-housing-plan-to-overhaul-how-city-responds-to-tenants-heat-complaints-other-code-violations/

https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/04/mayor-mamdani-takes-on-the-housing-crisis–cracks-down-on-bad-la

HERITAGE FOUNDATION RHETORIC https://www.heritage.org/government-regulation/commentary/how-mamdani-aims-crush-property-owners-and-socialize-the-skyline

2026 June

2026-06-24 Trump cancelled signage of the affordable housing bill until the SAVE act passes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t-fBSGBvkY&list=WL&index=4&t=176s

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-he-wont-sign-major-housing-bill-until-congress-passes-save-act

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/24/trump-cancels-housing-bill-signing-save-america-act.html

2026-06-29 Mike Johnson stated the housing bill would be signed into law without Trump’s signature.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/29/trump-veto-housing-bill-mike-johnson/90746658007/

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/24/donald-trump-housing-bill-canceled-00973509

2026 July

2026-07-10 The bipartisan Road to Housing bill was expected to pass despite Trump’s attempt to veto it. The housing bill is intended to create affordable housing, yet it still loosens building regulations.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-wont-sign-housing-bill-will-become-law-soon-without-veto/

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/10/trump-housing-bill-save-act-law.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/landmark-housing-bill-trump-trashed-will-become-law-unless-vetoes-toni-rcna353187

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/10/housing-bill-becomes-law-without-trump-veto

https://rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/the-easy-to-miss-reform-in-the-road-to-housing-act-worth-preserving

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-look-at-the-new-regulations-and-incentives-in-the-housing-bill-set-to-become-law

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/10/trump-housing-bill-affordability

https://nlihc.org/resource/house-passes-amended-bipartisan-21st-century-road-housing-act

2026-07-24 Landlords in New York are suing to overturn Mamdani’s rent freeze on apartments.

https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/new-york-city-rent-freeze-lawsuit-landlords-5467b881

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/7/24/headlines/new_york_city_landlords_sue_mamdani_administration_to_reverse_rent_freeze

https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-landlords-sued-over-mamdanis-rent-freeze-has-happened-before-2026-7