They promised affordable housing. You won’t believe what they did instead

Democrats in Olympia have resurrecting an old, widely discredited policy to address Washington’s housing crisis: rent control (HB 1217). In the long run, this so-called solution has made housing more expensive wherever it’s been tried, and is rejected by economists across the political spectrum.

The reason housing is expensive in Washington is because we have the fewest units per family in the nation. Under the Democrats’ failed leadership, our state has made it difficult and costly to build homes. The state can’t legislate away the law of supply and demand. If we want housing to be more affordable, we need to build more homes.

House Democrats passed the bill on March 10. You can find it here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1217&Year=2025&Initiative=false