President Trump’s executive order and greenlighting starter homes

On Oct. 22, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to restore “The American dream of homeownership … as a vital pillar of our great Nation.” The president has the right goal, but is missing the mark on policy.

The executive order is a grab bag of small-ball initiatives, most of which aim to reduce mortgage financing and transaction costs, largely for refinance loans rather than home purchases. These do little to address the actual problem: homes are too expensive.