I wonder if tax credits on mortgage payment interests is a contributing blocker to tax reform. If they got rid of it, buying and owning a house would be so much more expensive. It would make renting more worth it.
The problem is they can't dump that deduction without causing a massive discontinuity. If you get rid of it, house prices will drop instantly and incumbent owners are holding the bag in the form of their existing mortgage. So the only sane way to get rid of it is start now and phase it out over decades.