With housing affordability top of mind for many Americans, the Trump administration has floated a “game-changer” solution to the lack of access that has a few experts scratching their heads: A 50-year mortgage.
“Thanks to President Trump, we are indeed working on The 50 year Mortgage — a complete game changer,” Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte said in an initial statement on X announcing the proposal. Later, he added: “We are laser focused on ensuring the American Dream for YOUNG PEOPLE, and that can only happen on the economic level of home-buying. A 50 Year Mortgage is simply a potential weapon in a WIDE arsenal of solutions that we are developing right now. STAY TUNED!”
The announcement drew criticism from both sides of the aisle pretty quickly. The idea was floated to President Donald Trump without some of the additional vetting his team would’ve preferred before an official announcement, according to Politico. The president went ahead and posted a graphic of himself next to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, comparing 50-year mortgages with the Roosevelt administration’s 30-year mortgages.
Trump said he considered these mortgages to be “not even a big deal,” while on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” which aired on Monday.
