As Nevada lawmakers push for more affordable housing, Trump’s tariff plan and economic policies may worsen the crisis.
US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) secured $5 million from the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBank) of San Francisco for several affordable housing buildings in Nevada.
This comes as Nevadans grapple with the burden of high housing costs—spending more than 30% of their income on rent—and a worsening housing crisis that could lead to stalled construction due to President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
The cost of the president’s tariffs adds $4,405 to the material cost for homebuilding, raising the total cost of materials from $86,516 to $90,921 for a typical 1,800-square-foot home, according to NBC News. Increases will fall on working families, while the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) provides a permanent 4% income boost to wealthy individuals. Those making less than $460,000 a year, however, only receive a 1% bump.
“The Republican tax scam makes it harder for Nevada families to keep up with the rising cost of living,” Cortez Masto wrote in an email.
Her efforts led the FHLBank of San Francisco to fund Nevada housing projects, including Visions Park (100 units for the visually impaired) and Hoving Home Las Vegas (a women’s addiction recovery facility). She aims to hold community banks accountable for supplying housing for working families and supporting community development.
Although the OBBBA included a provision that makes the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which would help spur the development of new homes in Nevada, permanent, the bill’s impacts on health care and energy costs leave working families worse off than before its passage, said a spokesperson from Cortez Masto’s office.
Nevada faces a shortage of approximately 80,000 homes affordable to very low-income families, with an even greater need to address Nevada’s overall housing shortage, which tariffs exacerbate.
“I’m proud of the partnership that we have built with the bank to address housing needs in the Silver State,” Cortez Masto said. “I will continue to seek opportunities … to use its resources to meet more of our housing and community development needs.”
