Kamala the Economist

[Doctor Steuss]

Firstly, I'm not a "right winger." Secondly, Harris mentioned supply chain issues and a couple of other things that have little to no impact on housing prices and food prices which are the most impacted sectors of price inflation with regards to the lower middle class and poor.

Housing is interesting, inasmuch as it is almost entirely based on what the market will tolerate. While most builders have a target profit margin, that's all it is -- a target. That said, supply chain issues absolutely impact housing prices. Subcontractors, trade partners, and the builders themselves aren't charities. If they have to deal with a cost associated with a product having higher demand than supply, they aren't going to just eat the cost out of the goodness of their hearts. They will increase the price as far as the market will tolerate, in order to cover the cost.

This is why one of Trump's many unilateral taxes on Americans via his lumber tariff increased new home construction prices by a few thousand dollars per home. It's exceptionally rare when the cost of individual components of something increases, but the finished product doesn't.