Bost Boasts but Doesn't Deliver on Housing

Misleading numbers

In his Bost Bulletin of September 27, Mike Bost boasts about what he's doing to help us deal with the housing crisis. He boasts that the number of existing homes on the market is up 5.9%. What he doesn't tell you is that the supply is up because sales have fallen.

Bost boasts that the average price of new homes is down $29,000, to $393,800. But if you look at the latest release from the Census Bureau, which provides his key figure, that $29,000 figure is nowhere to be found. The average price of new houses actually increased a bit from 2025 to 2026, while the median fell a bit. Neither change is statistically significant.

Homes still cost too much. Should Mike Bost be boasting that a new home costs "only" $393,800?

The Republicans had to be forced to do what they did

Bost boasts about voting for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. And good for him: it's a decent bill that most Republicans and every single Democrat in Congress supported. But here's one person who didn't support it: Donald Trump.

Trump refused to sign the bill because he wanted Congress to pass the "SAVE" Act first to help him manipulate the midterm elections. The housing bill became a law despite Trump's opposition when he didn't veto it. Overwhelming support by voters forced Mike Bost's hand and led Trump to wimp out and allow the bill to become law. Trump minimized his surrender by saying the bill was "a big yawn" and "so unimportant."

We need a Congress and president that don't need to be forced into working for us.

Bost's boasts about protecting veterans are misleading

Bost boasts about two bills to protect veterans. One, the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act, passed uncontroversially with a voice vote but isn't very significant because it won't affect many veterans. The second, the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, is more significant, but here's the catch: all it does is partially restore a more generous program passed by Biden that Trump cancelled.

This is a typical GOP ploy: slash a government program, then take credit for partially restoring it. It's like a mugger giving you back some of the money he stole. Thanks, but no thanks.

Housing costs are up thanks to Trump and the Republican Congress

Housing is a complex issue, but high interest rates are a big part of the problem. High interest rates mean that homeowners with low-rate mortgages can't afford to sell their houses, as they'd need to take on a high-rate mortgage to buy a new home. First-time home buyers face a particularly challenging situation, as they can't rely on proceeds from selling their current house to cover high mortgage payments.

Why are interest rates up? The Fed had to raise rates to counter inflation, which is driven by Trump's war and Trump's tariffs. As of September 28, oil prices are up more than 50% this year thanks to Trump's war against Iran. Trump's massive budget deficit is driving up bond rates as investors begin to question whether the US under Trump will pay its bills. They don't trust Trump, and why should they? He's declared bankruptcy six times to avoid paying off his creditors. Now he's bankrupting us.

Donald Trump and the Republican Congress are making the housing crisis worse. That's nothing to boast about.