White House economists estimate the United States has a shortage of 10 million houses, according to a new report — and say regulatory cuts could lead to more construction to stabilize prices, increase homeownership, and fuel faster economic growth. The analysis is part of the Economic Report of the President, which lays out a blueprint for how more home construction would help the middle class and the overall economy. Put together by staff at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, it finds there would be 10 million more houses in the country if “homebuilding and the growth of the single-family housing stock had continued at their historical pace instead of falling dramatically” after the 2008 global financial crisis. That crisis was caused largely by a wave of defaults in the housing market, where prices had been fueled by problematic lending practices.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/14/2026