Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT.) has a message for anyone trying to buy a first home in America: good luck. On Saturday, in a post on X, Sanders laid out the numbers behind the country's worsening housing affordability crisis, and they are not pretty.

"In the richest country on Earth, starter homes now cost $1 million in a record 242 U.S. cities," he wrote. He also pointed to the rising age of first-time homebuyers, noting the median age has reached 40, up from 28 in the early 1990s.

His verdict? "Unacceptable." Sanders argued the government should redirect its spending priorities toward domestic needs. "Instead of investing in endless wars, we should invest in affordable housing," he wrote.

Democrats Slam Rising Cost of Living

Sanders isn't the only lawmaker feeling the heat on affordability. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said young Americans "can't afford homes," seniors are choosing between groceries and medication, and families are struggling to put food on the table. He blamed Washington for prioritizing "billionaires instead of working families."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said millions of taxpayers are "drowning economically," adding that House Democrats were fighting for an "Affordable America."

Housing Affordability Crisis Intensified

The frustration is bipartisan. On Wednesday, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) urged Congress to address rising living costs, citing that "63% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck." He called on lawmakers to lower the cost of living, balance the budget and create good-paying jobs before January.

The math backs up the anxiety. Monthly mortgage payments on median-priced resale homes have surged 97% since January 2020, while household income rose 33%, according to John Burns Research & Consulting. In other words, the cost of financing a home has grown roughly three times faster than the paychecks meant to cover it.

There's another bottleneck, too. In July, a shortage of skilled construction workers emerged as a major obstacle to easing the housing crisis, with the industry facing a monthly shortfall of about 250,000 workers. An industry report estimated that homebuilders needed roughly 723,000 new workers annually to address the nation's estimated 1.5 million-home housing shortage.

So the next time someone tells you the housing market just needs to cool off, remember: it's not just prices. It's wages, it's labor, and it's a political fight over where the money goes. Sanders has picked his side.