That would require allowing real estate prices to fall, which neither party can ever do. Real estate price appreciation is now a sacred entitlement alongside social security and medicaid and anyone threatening that loses the next election.

Unfortunately that also means housing can't become affordable because housing can't simultaneously be affordable and a good investment.

I'm not just being cynical. It's genuinely a hard problem, since crashing real estate would open the door to the next generation while bankrupting all previous generations and causing a banking crisis.

We are very much painted into a corner here, and the US doesn't even have it the worst compared to other developed nations.