There are a lot of reasons Americans can’t afford homes right now. Few affordable options, even to rent, high interest rates and investors scooping up houses in the country’s hottest markets.

Congress tried to lower that barrier with a sweeping, bipartisan housing affordability bill this week. But today President Donald Trump said he wouldn’t sign it unless lawmakers pass a different voter ID bill.  It makes you wonder how much lower Trump’s approval rating on the economy could go, and it likely won’t matter; bills become law after 10 days if the president doesn’t act, and Congress likely has the votes to overrule a veto.

While we wait to see what will happen, let’s look at America’s cheapest homes — and the barriers to buying them that this bill was meant to address. Keep reading for news about cheap oil and cheap electric trucks. — Tony Wagner, newsletter editor

In many U.S. cities, it’s the era of the $1 million starter home. But there is another side to this housing market: homes under $100,000. (Yes, they still exist.)

Although the average U.S. home hasn’t touched that price since the mid–1980s, buyers can still find relatively affordable homes in pockets of the country. Getting a mortgage for these houses, however, is difficult. The bipartisan housing bill Congress passed today tries to address this issue.

Craig Richardson, a professor of economics and finance at Winston-Salem State University, is perusing Zillow for homes under $100,000 near where he lives in North Carolina.

“I'm looking at [a] two-bedroom, one-bath, 729-square-feet,” Richardson said. “That's a nice little cottage. Another one is $55,000 — it's a multifamily home. Another condo is $89,000.”

Richardson actually bought a similarly-priced condo as an investment.

“We had to refinance and wrap this condo into a larger loan that included both our house and the condo,” he said.

He couldn’t get a small mortgage for just the condo. And that’s pretty common. People typically pay cash or go with riskier financing, “such as land contracts, rent-to-own agreements, or lease purchase,” said Tara Roche, project director for housing policy at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Roche said it’s hard to get a small mortgage because lenders don’t like them. They have fixed costs no matter the loan size.

“And it can make those small mortgages difficult to pencil for lenders,” Roche said.

Making it worth banks’ while will likely require regulatory change. According to Roberto Quercia, a professor of housing and community development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Congress’ housing bill calls for that.

“It creates a policy and regulatory framework to eventually implement changes,” Quercia said.

Keyword? “Eventually.” Quercia still doesn’t think $100,000 mortgages will be easy to find anytime soon.

The war in Iran has depleted the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is at its lowest level in 40 years. The government created the reserve after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, which also drove the formation of the International Energy Agency and new fuel economy standards. We talked with Jacobs, who wrote the book “Panic at the Pump,” about how today’s oil shock compares.

Probably, in theory. But what about oligopolies? Better read our explainer to make sure you have ‘em straight.