US Government Is Sitting on Possible Solution to Housing Crisis

Among the more urgent tasks facing Donald Trump now that he’s heading back to the White House is answering calls to address the country’s housing availability and affordability crisis. First-time and low-income homebuyers are all but shut out of the housing market, foreclosing the opportunity to build wealth and put a down payment on their own American dream.

The Trump campaign offered several policies to address the problem, but the centerpiece was the idea to open up federally controlled public lands for housing construction. It’s a particularly attractive idea because it can skirt local red tape, and it has ...