Vice President J.D. Vance took the stage at the National League of Cities Conference at the Marriott Marquis on Monday, delivering a spirited address that underscored the Trump administration’s commitment to federalism, housing affordability, and border enforcement.
Speaking to a packed room of local leaders from across the country, Vance emphasized the vital role of municipal governments while outlining federal policies aimed at easing the housing crisis and curbing illegal immigration—issues he framed as deeply interconnected.
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Kicking off his remarks at 2:31 p.m. EDT, Vance welcomed the attendees with a nod to Washington, D.C.’s status as “the people’s city,” built and sustained by their tax dollars.
“Enjoy the town, because it is your city,” he said, encouraging the group to explore the capital beyond their busy schedules. He praised the conference’s mission, noting that “good government starts at the local level” and that most Americans interact more with their state and local officials than with the federal government—a design he called intentional under the Constitution.
Vance, a former Ohio senator, quickly pivoted to a central theme: housing affordability, which he described as a pressing challenge uniting federal and local interests. “I’m hard-pressed to think of a time in my 40 years of life where it’s been so hard for normal American citizens to afford a home,” he said, citing a conversation with a younger relative who lamented that single middle-class incomes no longer suffice for homeownership, as they did for past generations.
He highlighted stark statistics: the average income needed to buy a home is now nearly double a typical family’s combined earnings, a gap widened by inflation that saw median home prices more than double under the Biden administration.
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The vice president tied housing costs to both supply and demand factors. On the supply side, he pointed to local zoning laws as a hurdle, praising cities like Austin, Texas, for smart reforms that have lowered prices. While stressing the administration’s respect for local control—“none of you want the federal government mandating how cities handle local laws, and that’s certainly not what we want either”—he urged partnership.
“Be good partners with us and think about how we can improve the cost of housing for our citizens,” he said, referencing boomtowns like Columbus, Ohio, and Miami, Florida, where growth has outpaced affordable housing.
On the demand side, Vance linked soaring housing prices to illegal immigration, a signature issue for the Trump administration. “If you allow 20 million people to compete with American citizens for the cost of homes, you are going to have a large and completely preventable spike in the demand for housing,” he argued, drawing boos from some attendees but pressing on.
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He cited his recent visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, where border encounters dropped from 1,500 to under 30 daily in weeks due to “commonsense border enforcement.” This, he said, eases pressure on housing, schools, and hospitals—strains he heard firsthand from local leaders.
Vance also touted early administration efforts to boost housing supply, including President Trump’s day-one executive order to cut regulations, which he said account for 25% of new home costs.
He praised HUD Secretary Turner for reversing Biden-era rules and noted work by Secretaries Burgum and Wright, alongside EPA Administrator Zeldin, to lower energy costs—a key housing expense.
Closing with a nod to blue-collar Americans, Vance called for a united effort to revive the American Dream.
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“We’ve seen a lot of our blue-collar Americans, urban and rural, struggling to afford a home, struggling to raise their kids in safe communities,” he said. “Let’s fight for our people together.”
He lauded local leaders as the backbone of government—fixing potholes and funding first responders—and pledged an “open door” from the Trump administration to support their work.
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