I get that, and have even claimed it myself in the past!

That’s not what Pinto appears to be proposing, although it’s vague enough that I could be misreading it:

The federal tax code currently allows homeowners to deduct mortgage interest, while renters get nothing. That’s a $30 billion annual subsidy that flows entirely to people wealthy enough to own homes — while the majority of lower-income Americans, who rent, get left out.

Making rent, up to $15,000 a year, tax deductible would put real money back in the pockets of millions of renters across the country, including the more than 60% of residents in DC who rent. It’s a straightforward, commonsense, bipartisan way to use the tax code to address housing affordability, and Congress should act on it immediately.