🏠HUD targets building codes while states control construction regulations

Presidential directives target zoning restrictions, environmental reviews, and building codes that increase construction costs and limit housing supply. The approach could save families $135,000 on home purchases while potentially reducing safety standards, environmental protections, and community planning requirements that protect residents from dangerous or inappropriate development.

Housing regulation primarily occurs at municipal and county levels where federal presidents have minimal direct control over land use decisions. Trump's housing strategy depends on state and local cooperation that cannot be compelled through executive orders, demonstrating constitutional limits on presidential power over community development.

Federal funding for emergency housing comes with nondiscrimination requirements that protect LGBTQ+ individuals from exclusion based on identity. Eliminating these protections forces transgender Americans to choose between accessing shelter services and facing discrimination, potentially increasing street homelessness and exposure to violence.

Executive control over banking regulations, environmental rules, and construction standards affects mortgage availability, building costs, and real estate development throughout the economy. Federal regulatory changes ripple through housing markets by altering lending practices, construction requirements, and investor confidence in residential development projects.