Election 2024

Christian Britschgi | 10.1.2024 11:55 PM

Both candidates at tonight's vice-presidential debate agreed that housing costs are too high. And both Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had their favorite scapegoats to blame the problem on.

For Vance, it was immigrants.

"You've got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes," said the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

Instead of "blaming migrants for everything on housing, we could talk a little bit about Wall Street speculators buying up housing and making them less affordable," responded the Democrat.

Neither candidate's answer is particularly surprising. Vance has blamed immigrants for raising housing costs throughout the campaign. The GOP party platform claims that deportations will help bring housing costs down.

Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has repeatedly blamed "corporate landlords" and "Wall Street" for rising rents and home prices. As a solution, she has endorsed capping rents at properties owned by larger corporate investors and using antitrust law to stop landlords from using........

© Reason.com