The Mercatus Center recently released a policy brief outlining various options to make housing more affordable nationwide.
The free market think tank notes that rents and the costs of homes rose significantly in 2021 and 2022 amid the high inflation of the post-pandemic economy. Although inflation has subsided, most cities are still struggling with high housing costs.
Mercatus says that restrictive local zoning laws are keeping builders from meeting housing demands around the country. The researchers recommend that states repeal some local zoning laws, change building codes and overhaul land use rules.
The authors of the policy brief offered 18 options to help bring down housing costs in different states. These include passing laws allowing homeowners to build and rent accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which can become backyard cottages, basement apartments or garage conversions. Eighteen states already allow residents to do this.
Similarly, states can pass legislation allowing residential uses on sites zoned primarily for commercial uses. The report noted that “the COVID-19 pandemic and the normalization of remote work have resulted in long-term office vacancies.”
Additionally, it recommended that states follow the lead of Texas and Maine in changing minimum lot size requirements so builders and buyers are not forced to purchase more land than needed for a single home.
Limiting parking mandates is another option. On-site parking spaces are often required by cities and take up a massive area, while adding tens of thousands of dollars to a residence. Lawmakers in Washington and Montana passed legislation in 2025 to cap parking mandates for new single-family residences at one space per unit.
Restaurants cheer rollback of food tariffs
President Trump’s elimination of tariffs on certain food and agricultural products received plaudits from the National Restaurant Association.
“This action delivers needed relief for restaurants and their customers at a time when food costs have risen nearly 40% over the past four years,” said NRA President & CEO Michelle Korsmo.
“We remain committed to working with the administration to address remaining tariffs, including country-specific ones, to keep restaurant prices affordable and supply chains strong for businesses and diners alike.”
Ms. Korsmo said that restaurants depend on a steady, affordable supply of ingredients year-round, and while these businesses prioritize sourcing their products from the U.S., many cannot be grown domestically due to seasonal and climate restrictions.
On Friday, Mr. Trump modified the scope of the reciprocal tariffs that he announced in April to exclude certain agricultural products that can’t be grown in the U.S.
Some of those products include coffee and tea, tropical fruits and fruit juices, cocoa and spices, bananas, oranges, and tomatoes.
News aggregators hid Democrats’ scandals
The Media Research Center crunched numbers from the most recent elections and described how Big Tech buried many of the scandals that beleaguered the Democratic candidates.
The conservative media watchdog organization said Google News, Microsoft’s MSN, Yahoo! News and AOL News mostly concealed scandals related to four Democratic candidates in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City by only allowing a total of 14 stories mentioning the scandals to be published on their sites out of 2,240 highly placed stories they promoted in the four weeks leading to election day.
The 14 related articles from the news aggregators made up less than 1% of the 2,240 stories published during that period.
MRC said the Big Tech companies shielded Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, and New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill from negative news.
“Big Tech companies’ foray into news aggregation has effectively allowed them to cherry-pick stories that support their politicized narrative,” MRC said.
Mr. Jones was elected despite revelations that he sent text messages in 2022 fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and making violent remarks about Mr. Gilbert’s family.
Mr. Jones was also convicted of reckless driving in 2022 after being clocked at 116 mph on Interstate 64. His sentence included a $1,500 fine and 1,000 hours of community service — half of which he reportedly completed through his own political action committee, which raised red flags.
Ms. Sherrill was accused of insider trading during the early days of the pandemic and was also ensnared in a cheating scandal when she was at the Naval Academy, which prevented her from being allowed to walk at graduation.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mamdani was criticized for his remarks about Islamophobia related to the aftermath of 9/11, including allegedly making up a story about a hijab wearing aunt of his who he said was harassed on the subway following the World Trade Center attack.
• The Advocates column is a weekly look at the political action players who drive the debate and shape policy outcomes in Washington. Send tips to theadvocates@washingtontimes.com.
