Bessent: “We May Declare A National Housing Emergency In Fall”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Washington Examiner on Labor Day that the Trump administration may declare a national housing emergency in the coming months to address the affordability crisis. Bessent’s comments come just ahead of an expected interest-rate cut cycle, underscoring the administration’s urgent effort to address the affordability crisis, which is set to be one of the key topics ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Bessent joined the Washington Examiner for breakfast on Labor Day at McLean Family Restaurant on Monday. He told the outlet that President Trump plans to make “affordability” a critical pillar of America First’s 2026 midterm election platform. 

First stop: McLean Family Restaurant in Virginia. For over 40 years, the Kapetanakis family has lived the American Dream, serving their community with heart and tradition.

Their famous omelets are amazing, and thanks to @POTUS, eggs are more than 50% cheaper today than last… pic.twitter.com/X6p0QiHc6T

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) September 1, 2025

“We may declare a national housing emergency in the fall,” Bessent told the Washington Examiner. 

A toxic combination of elevated mortgage rates and record-high home prices has sparked one of the worst housing affordability crises in a generation, sidelining many working-class folks from homeownership. 

“We’re trying to figure out what we can do, and we don’t want to step into the business of states, counties, and municipal governments,” Bessent noted, adding, ”I think everything is on the table.”

The treasury secretary did not elaborate on specific actions Trump could take, but he did mention officials within the administration are analyzing ways to standardize local building and zoning codes and decrease closing costs. He added that the possibility of considering some tariff exemptions for housing materials will be considered.

“I think we’re going to see a big economic pickup in 2026,” Bessent continued. ”This very, very, very nice young lady here, who’s had this restaurant for 32 years, she’s going to get a large tax refund of the ‘No Tax on Tips.’ So 2026 is going to be a good year.”

Another way the Trump admin is seeking to boost housing supply is by removing illegal aliens from federal housing assistance programs. In addition, efforts to restore law and order in crime-ridden, Democrat-controlled cities could also free up housing stock.

We’ll leave readers with one chart that shows America’s “civilization crisis“…

I’ve heard the horror stories, Carol. https://t.co/EexiHD5zsf pic.twitter.com/35736Jw06P

— Nathan Halberstadt (@NatHalberstadt) August 2, 2025

America First is about rebuilding the middle class after globalists spent decades chipping away at the working class that built this nation. Making homeownership, family, and country “Great Again” seems to be all the rage today – especially on the internet.