It was housing that motivated me to first run for office

America has an affordable housing crisis, and if we don't take action, it's going to get worse.

All over the country, including right here in Oregon, hedge funds are wielding their financial muscle to snap up available housing, outbid ordinary, hard-working Americans, drive up prices and rents, and turn neighborhoods into Wall Street profit centers at the expense of folks struggling to find a place to call home.

This has helped drive an increase in the average age of the American homebuyer. The average age of a first-time homebuyer has reached an all-time high of 38 in 2024, according to a new report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), up from 35 in 2023.

We need to put keys into the hands of first-time homeowners, not Wall Street profiteers and corporate interests.

Here's what I'm doing to put an end to these practices:

• I introduced the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act to kick hedge funds out of the housing market and increase access to affordable housing.
• I'll keep pushing to find ways to build more housing across the country to ensure there's a strong supply of affordable, accessible housing for all.

Before I ran for office, I was head of the Portland chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and it was seeing everyday Americans struggle to find affordable housing that motivated me to first run for the Oregon legislature. In that role with Habitat, I was in a meeting with a local elected official talking about the housing problem in Portland, thinking that maybe I need to be on the other side of the table to make a difference on housing. Now, I'm in the Senate fighting for affordable housing for all.

In Congress, I'll continue to fight to pass my End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act as well as other legislation that lowers housing costs for the American people.

Everyone should have a safe, affordable place to call home, and we're working to get it done.

Onward!

Jeff