Carl Harris, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Wichita, Kan., issued the following statement after the housing affordability crisis received scant mention in the presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump:

“The housing affordability crisis is a top national concern and Americans will take notice why the presidential candidates said very little on how to make homeownership and renting more affordable. With a nationwide shortage of roughly 1.5 million housing units, the only way to bring down rising housing costs is to put in place policies that will allow builders to increase the housing supply.

“The administration and Congress must address excessive regulations, support trades education to alleviate a severe labor shortage in the construction industry that is delaying home building projects, and oppose restrictive, mandatory building codes that significantly raise housing costs and provide little energy savings to consumers. NAHB has released a 10-point housing plan to address America’s housing affordability challenges, and these are just a few steps that policymakers must take to break the rising housing cost curve and allow builders to construct more homes and apartments.”