Trump explores housing measures to curb rising costs ahead of Davos

President Trump and White House officials have been exploring a wide range of proposals to address rising housing costs as he prepares speeches in Detroit and at an economic conference in Davos later this month. Over the past weeks aides have considered ideas to boost construction, reduce some mortgage fees, ease taxes on home sales and allow families to tap retirement and college accounts for down payments.

The administration has also announced steps including a move to block institutional investors from buying single-family homes, an order for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase up to $200 billion in mortgage bonds, and a quiet suspension of tariffs on lumber and furnishings. Home prices nationally have climbed nearly 55 percent from the first quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2025, according to the National Association of Home Builders, and rents have risen more than 35 percent over a similar period, according to Zillow.

The White House’s discussions have encountered familiar political hurdles: some proposals would require congressional approval, others lack final detail, and officials within the administration disagree over how aggressively to act. Analysts remain uncertain about the long-term effects of the bond purchases, and it is unclear whether measures such as barring large investors can be achieved by executive action.

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Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Federal Reserve, Davos