Conservative influencer Benny Johnson is spearheading a new effort, “Make Housing Great Again,” aimed at helping Millennials and Gen Z navigate rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and regulatory hurdles that many say are pushing young Americans out of homeownership.
According to Fox News, the initiative, announced Friday by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), will have Johnson serving as co-chair and national spokesperson.
He will also help lead a business advisory council focused on strategies to make housing more affordable.
“Benny has 4 million followers. He is, you know, so influential. He’s been talking about this a lot on his own social media platforms, and so he is the perfect person to help deliver the policies,” said Ashley Hayek, AFPI’s executive vice president and co-chair of the initiative. “He has young children. I have young children. And for us, we are both very fired up about this issue.”
Hayek added that Johnson’s ability to communicate effectively and reach young audiences could help raise awareness of existing programs to assist first-time homebuyers.
Greg Sindelar, AFPI’s interim president, said the initiative is also a response to cultural trends that “too often diminish traditional aspirations,” including homeownership and family formation.
“Rising costs, stagnant wages, regulatory burdens, and a culture that too often diminishes traditional aspirations have left millions feeling directionless and forgotten,” Sindelar said. “AFPI is committed to reversing this trend by advancing meaningful, actionable policy solutions rooted in the principles of the America First movement.”
The initiative unveiled several policy proposals. These include eliminating capital gains taxes on first-home sales if proceeds are reinvested in another home within five years, creating “Home Savings Accounts” modeled after Health Savings Accounts, and reducing regulations that inflate construction costs, including some green building standards.
Other proposals target predatory lending, support innovative housing like tiny homes, and offer tax incentives for young families.
One plan, the “Family Formation Mortgage Credit,” would provide a $10,000 refundable tax credit to households that marry and have a child within five years of purchasing a home. The initiative also aims to double the child tax credit for homeowners or prospective homeowners filing jointly.
“The average first-time homebuyer in America is now 40 years old. 40. years. Old,” Johnson said. “The fight for homeownership is a fight for the survival of our culture and civilization. Young Americans cannot build families without homes, and a nation without families cannot survive. The American Dream is dying before our eyes. This is a generational betrayal, and we must reverse it for our children and for their future. This was the final policy priority of Charlie Kirk. We will deliver and save the American Dream.”
