It’s often joked that if President Donald Trump cured cancer, Democrats would find a way to protest. Lately, that doesn’t seem so far from the truth.
Whether it’s cutting taxes that kneecap the economy or protecting the southern border, Democrats have broadly decided on a policy of opposing everything Trump does.
We saw it during the State of the Union address when Trump challenged members of Congress to stand if they agreed with a simple statement: Government’s primary duty is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. Most Democrats sat on their hands.
LESS REGULATION, NOT MORE, WILL LOWER HOUSING PRICES
Whether it’s funding the military or trying to correct America’s trade imbalances, the Democrats have become political opportunists who always say no.
This knee-jerk obstructionism has shown itself most destructively in the housing crisis facing millions of families. Over the past half-decade, the dream of homeownership has been slipping through the fingers of the middle class. Skyrocketing construction costs, high mortgage rates, and soaring maintenance prices have driven millions out of the housing market.
The result is that young people are falling far behind when it comes to homeownership. While 90% of Generation Z would like to own a home one day, nearly two-thirds think they never will.
This crisis of confidence represents a blow to the American Dream. America is supposed to be a place where you can work hard and afford to own a home, yet that aspiration looks increasingly unattainable to most.
Trump and Congress are trying to address this crisis, but once again, Democrats are threatening to blow it all up.
Trump has explicitly stated that corporate entities and hedge funds acquiring large residential portfolios are inflating housing costs, and he contends this trend must be corrected. An executive order he signed in January targets Wall Street investment firms that purchase single-family residences and distort market prices.
By ending the mass corporate purchases of homes, Trump is protecting families from being outbid and preserving equilibrium in the housing market. You’d think taking on large corporations for the sake of the little guy would be something Democrats could support.
Not so. Democratic senators, led by supposed anti-corporate crusader Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), have proposed a socialist counterproposal to Trump’s reforms.
Their newly introduced American Homeownership Act would raise taxes and pile on regulations, throwing the housing market into chaos. While Trump’s executive order surgically targets the problem of institutional investors in the single-family home market, Warren’s legislation swings a sledgehammer.
Trump understands what Warren apparently doesn’t: Investment in housing construction is essential for increasing supply, and more supply means lower prices. The problem isn’t investment itself, it’s unchecked consolidation that prices families out of homeownership.
Warren’s bill would leverage antitrust law to make it nearly impossible for investors to participate in the housing market. This isn’t reform, it’s scorched-earth socialism masquerading as consumer protection. The inevitable result? Reduced housing supply and skyrocketing costs for American families.
This reflects a fundamental philosophical divide. Trump opposes investors when they produce adverse outcomes for consumers. Warren and her socialist allies oppose investment for investment’s sake, driven by ideology rather than practical concerns for struggling families.
Democrats are perfectly content to crush vulnerable Americans if it’s in line with their radical ideology. Trump prefers to give these Americans a helping hand.
Warren’s bill stands no chance of passing the Senate, but it could be a monkey wrench in the gears of the legislative process. Her bill could foil bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate that’s more in line with Trump’s executive order, which would help lower home and rental prices.
MAJOR HOUSING BILL CLEARS SENATE AND NOW FACES CONFLICT WITHIN HOUSE GOP
The American people don’t care about partisanship. They care about results. The time has come for Democrats to put aside their personal disdain for the president and help restore the American Dream of homeownership.
Socialist legislative measures that will never pass might win headlines, but they won’t get one family into a home or lower a single rent payment. Trump achieved a major victory by eliminating mass corporate ownership of homes, and he did it without creating chaos in the housing market. Someone tell Democrats that’s a win for everyone.
Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers and senior political adviser to Catholic Vote. He is a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance and a former Fox News commentator.
