Amid rising housing prices, support for first-time homebuyers has reemerged as an important policy issue in the 2024 U.S. election. The most prominent proposal is a plan by Kamala Harris to provide $25,000 in down payment support for first-time homebuyers. In a new explainer, Ben Harris and Liam Marshall answer key questions about these types of assistance programs and their ramifications.
“The homeownership rate for younger households—those under 35 years old—has been falling throughout the pandemic and is now 3.2 percentage points lower than in the second quarter of 2020.”
— Ben Harris and Liam Marshall
More research and commentary
The rising threat of synthetic opioids in Europe. On the latest episode of The Killing Drugs podcast, Vanda Felbab-Brown and Alex Stevens talk about the use of fentanyl and nitazenes in Europe, widespread adoption of harm reduction strategies, and the challenges of controlling synthetic drug supply chains.
Why presidents should not meddle with the Fed. Donald Trump wants more of a say in monetary policy decisions and his supporters have compiled a list of proposals that would give the presidency new ways to exert influence. However, history shows that eroding the Federal Reserve’s independence produces inflation and economic instability, warns Donald Kohn in The New York Times.
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