'You’ll never solve the problem': Experts say Vance confused about housing market

Economists are pushing back on claims from Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) that immigrants could make housing less affordable.

Former President Donald Trump's running mate positioned his ticket's anti-migrant posture at the vice presidential debate as a policy to protect the cost of living for the middle class, saying migrants threatened housing affordability.

“Twenty-five million illegal aliens competing with Americans for scarce homes is one of the most significant drivers of home prices in the country,” he said.

It's not that simple, economists told The Washington Post. In fact, many argued Vance is looking at the wrong side of the equation.

Vance's claim, wrote Rachel Siegel, "has been debunked by economists and housing experts, who say that other forces have played a much bigger role in driving up prices and that illegal immigration is not a top reason prices are high." Additionally, "Foreign-born workers also make up roughly a third of the construction workforce, a crucial part of the push to build millions of new homes and fix years-long shortages. That means the strict immigration crackdown Vance and former president Donald Trump are proposing could send prices even higher."

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An influx of migrants could impact rental prices in some cities, economists said — but ultimately, they're not competing for the same types of housing that middle-class Americans are.

According to White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein, Vance is confused about how the housing market works — and “If you get the diagnosis wrong, as Vance did, you’ll never solve the problem.”

When challenged on the issue, Vance provided a screenshot of a Federal Reserve board official's report and characterized it as supporting his claim that immigrants could raise home prices — but as economist Justin Wolfers noted, Vance selectively left out half the speech, where the same official said the effect was unclear and could also lower home prices.