US Faces Shortage of 10 Million Homes, White House Says

The United States has a shortage of 10 million homes, a gap that the White House’s newly released 2026 Economic Report of the President attributes in part to government regulations that have increased construction costs. The estimated shortage was calculated by tracking how many single-family homes would have been built if the historical pace up to 2008 had continued, according to the report, issued on April 13 by the Council of Economic Advisers. Housing costs surged as demand outpaced supply, with regulatory hurdles such as fees, mandates, and permitting delays adding what it described as a six-figure “bureaucrat tax” to the cost of building a new home. The report highlights “California-style” regulations as a key example....