The Trump administration needs to make it more of a priority to bolster low-income housing to help those less fortunate, former President Jimmy Carter said Thursday.
Carter spoke with CNBC and said the issue should be raised a few notches on the list of priority items.
"Low-income housing needs to be raised much higher as a priority for our country," Carter said. "That's the first step toward making people who are now dependent on government assistance, on welfare rolls, to get a good job and have a chance to raise their families and put their kids through school.
"I don't think that making people self-sufficient who are already in desperate need and who have never had a decent place to live is a good approach to low-income housing. You can make people suffer longer by depriving them of adequate help."
Carter served one term as president, from 1977-1981. He has spent much of his post-presidential life working with Habitat for Humanity, and he has helped renovate more than 4,000 houses in 14 countries around the world.
"The main thing that we have failed to do is to let people, in general, join in with Habitat and emphasize the need for low-income housing," Carter said.
Earlier this week, Carter and retired late-night TV host David Letterman joined forces to help build 23 homes via Habitat for Humanity in northern Indiana.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.