President Donald Trump and his administration have made a lot of big promises to improve affordability since taking office. Those promises have ramped up as consumers increasingly feel pinched by the U.S. economy, from sticky inflation and a stagnant job market to high interest rates. The macroeconomic data broadly suggests that the economy is chugging along just fine, but there’s been a growing mismatch between what the data shows and how average Americans feel about their finances.

Many economists chalk this up to the U.S. increasingly operating as a K-shaped economy — one where the highest-income Americans continue to see their income and wealth rise, while the less well-off face continued, or growing, financial strife. The fortunate few are propping up the economy with their spending, the argument goes, while middle and lower-income Americans are falling further behind because of the cumulative impact of higher prices, weaker wage gains, fewer job openings and more.

To help cut through the noise, Bankrate is tracking the Trump administration’s affordability proposals that could have the biggest impact on your wallet. Below is a look at what Trump has proposed since taking office to improve affordability and where those proposals stand today.

Housing

—Ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes

The proposal: Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 20, 2026, targeting large institutional investors that buy single-family homes, with the goal of keeping more of those homes available for families. The order limits certain federal housing programs from approving, backing or otherwise helping with sales that could reasonably go to individual homebuyers. However, the order doesn’t clearly spell out what counts as a “single-family home” or who qualifies as a “large institutional investor.” It directs the Treasury secretary to define those terms by Feb. 19.

Where it stands: Stalled. The executive order requests several federal agencies to issue guidance, review current regulations and implement requirements on large institutional investors buying or holding single-family homes. But no material action has been taken yet by agencies or Congress.

Date proposed: Jan. 7, 2026

Number of note: 17%. That’s the percentage of real estate investors of all sizes — small investors and large institutions — who bought U.S. homes in the third quarter of 2025, according to Redfin.

—The 50-year mortgage

The proposal: Trump floated the idea to offer a half-century home loan option to qualified mortgage borrowers, with the aim of improving access and affordability to a stuck-in-the-mud housing market. Currently, anything beyond a 30-year home loan, such as the existing 40-year option, is a non-qualified mortgage.

Where it stands: Stalled. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte told the media that the Trump administration had “other priorities.”

Date proposed: Nov. 18, 2025

Number of note: $389,000. That’s the long-haul added cost in accruing interest of tacking another two decades onto the standard 30-year mortgage, according to an Associated Press analysis.

—$200 billion mortgage bond move

The proposal: Trump ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities in a bid to lower mortgage rates, with Pulte subsequently authorizing even higher limits.

Where it stands: In effect. Mortgage rates responded positively to the news on Jan. 9, with the average 30-year rate dipping below 6% for the first time in nearly three years. They’ve since moved back up to the low-6% range and stayed there.

Date proposed: Jan. 8, 2026

Number of note: 10%. While $200 billion sounds like a lot of money, it’s only about one-tenth of the $2 trillion in mortgage-backed securities held by the Federal Reserve.

—Tap 401(k) funds for down payments

The proposal: Allow aspiring homebuyers to tap their 401(k) retirement accounts — without penalty — for down payments toward a property purchase. The plan would conceivably ease the process of accessing 401(k) loans that already exist.

Where it stands: Stalled. Trump told the White House press corps that he was “not a huge fan” of this proposal, about a week after White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox Business Network that Trump would unveil a “final plan” for it at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Date proposed: Jan. 16, 2025

Number of note: 5 years. Under current IRS rules, you must repay 401(k) loans within this timeframe. However, leaving your employer could trigger a faster repayment of the debt.

Investing

—“Trump accounts” for kids

The proposal: Seed investment accounts with $1,000 of Uncle Sam’s money — and private donations from philanthropists — for American babies born between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2028. The Trump accounts are controlled by each child’s legal guardian until age 18. Parents can contribute up to $5,000 per year, and a growing number of companies have announced plans to offer employee matching.

Where it stands: Coming soon. These government-subsidized savings vehicles for children are scheduled to become available July 4, 2026.

Date proposed: June 9, 2025

Number of note: $149,000. The initial $1,000 deposit would grow to this amount after 65 years, assuming an 8%, inflation-adjusted return, according to Bankrate’s Kates. It would similarly grow to $4,000 over 18 years and $10,000 over 30.

Credit

—A one-year, 10% cap on credit card APRs

The proposal: Force credit card issuers to max out interest rates at 10%, so the “American public” won’t “be ‘ripped off,’” Trump announced on Truth Social.

Where it stands: Stalled. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill to cap rates for five years. Trump had initially called for a one-year ceiling to take effect on Jan 20.

Date proposed: Jan. 9, 2026

Number of note: 19.61%. That’s the average APR on credit cards charged interest as of early February, the latest data available from Bankrate.

—Tax deductions on auto loan interest

The proposal: This new tax benefit lets you write off up to $10,000 a year in interest paid on an auto loan for a qualifying vehicle. You can claim the deduction whether you take the standard deduction or itemize, but it only applies to purchases made between the beginning of 2025 and the end of 2028. One key requirement: the vehicle must undergo final assembly in the U.S.

Where it stands: In effect, as part of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

Date proposed: July 4, 2025

Number of note: $10,000. This new tax deduction allows taxpayers to deduct up to that much in auto loan interest after purchasing a qualifying vehicle.

—Keep some medical debt on credit reports

The proposal: Allow credit bureaus to report unpaid medical debt over $5,000 on consumers’ credit reports, building on the momentum of a federal ruling in July 2025 that stopped the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from its efforts in the opposite direction.

Where it stands: In effect. The Trump administration’s watered-down CFPB issued a rule last fall barring states from removing medical debt from credit reports.

Date proposed: Oct. 28, 2025

Number of note: $49 billion. This amount of unpaid medical bills would have been removed from credit reports nationwide, boosting credit scores by an average of 20 points for about 15 million Americans, according to the Biden-era CFPB.

—Lower credit card processing fees

The proposal: Increase competition among credit card issuers as the means to decrease transaction processing surcharges, or “swipe fees.”

Where it stands: Stalled. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Ka.) introduced the Credit Card Competition Act in 2023 — but Trump’s early 2026 support of it revived debate.

Date proposed: Jan. 13, 2026

Number of note: 80%. That’s the senators’ estimate of how much of the credit card market is controlled by what it calls the “Visa-Mastercard duopoly.”

Economy

—Announce next Federal Reserve Chair

The proposal: Trump has been putting political pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates since early 2025, publicly criticizing him and urging him to step down. As of January 2026, Powell is the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation into his congressional testimony about the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion headquarters renovation project.

Where it stands: With the investigation ongoing, the situation remains stalled. Powell has dismissed the probe as politically motivated. On Jan. 30, President Trump announced he will nominate Kevin Warsh to be the next Federal Reserve chair when Powell’s term as chair ends in May 2026.

Date proposed: April 2025

Number of note: Three. That’s how many rate cuts Bankrate’s 2026 Interest Rate Forecast projects for 2026, totaling 0.75 percentage point.

—$2,000 tariff dividend checks

The proposal: President Donald Trump announced last fall on Truth Social that Americans would receive $2,000 tariff dividend checks from the government by mid-2026.

Where it stands: Stalled. Tariff dividend checks will need Congressional approval.

Date proposed: Nov. 9, 2025

Number of note: $200 billion. That’s how much the U.S. reportedly collected in tariffs from Jan. 20 to Dec. 15, according to a statement released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Student loans

—Restrict Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility

The proposal: The U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration is overhauling the PSLF program and issued a final rule on Oct. 30 that narrows eligibility for the program. The rule targets employers engaged in what the administration defines as “illegal activities,” including those related to discrimination, terrorism and transgender issues.

Where it stands: Stalled. The final rule is slated to take effect July 1, 2026, however, more than a dozen states have sued the administration over it.

Date proposed: Oct. 30, 2025

Number of note: 10 years. Under the PSLF program, student loan debt is forgiven for government and nonprofit employees after a decade of qualifying payments.

—Move federal student loan servicing

The proposal: The federal student loan portfolio is currently managed by Federal Student Aid (FSA) within the U.S. Department of Education, but there are proposals to shift this responsibility to other agencies, such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the Small Business Administration (SBA), or even private lenders.

Where it stands: Stalled. These proposals, which were first surfaced as part of Project 2025, haven’t made progress. As of now, federal student loans remain under the Department of Education.

Date proposed: March 21, 2025

Number of note: $1.6 trillion. The U.S. Department of Education oversees roughly this much in federal student loan debt for over 40 million borrowers.

—Wage garnishment on defaulted student loans

The proposal: The Department of Education announced on Dec. 23 that it would restart collections for borrowers with defaulted student loans, but reversed course within weeks. The department is now indefinitely delaying wage garnishment while it works to implement major student loan repayment reforms passed under the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Where it stands: Paused. The Department of Education said in a Jan. 16 statement that it would delay garnishing wages, seizing tax refunds and collecting other benefits from federal student loan borrowers in default.

Date proposed: Dec. 23, 2025

Number of note: 8.8 million. The number of borrowers that were 270-plus days delinquent on their federal student loans as of the end of last year, according to advocacy group Protect Borrowers.

Insurance

—Lower auto insurance rates

The proposal: Lower car insurance costs for Americans at a time when the price of buying and maintaining a vehicle is at an all-time high.

Where it stands: Stalled. Trump’s post on X (formerly Twitter) in the fall of 2024 hasn’t appeared to move the needle, in part because insurance is regulated at the state level.

Date proposed: Sept. 17, 2024

Number of note: 73%. The increased cost of auto insurance, according to Trump’s accounting. However, that figure has been debunked by insurance experts interviewed by Bankrate.

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