The “sniggering interaction” with the President of the United States had hurt a lot of people, said Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Such sniggering was “a cowardly act,” Ms McDonald added.
“No-one was sniggering at any housing problem, it’s pathetic – you know that,” Mr Martin said.
“No-one is going to buy in to your propaganda, your feigned outrage.”
The meeting in the Oval Office came after Mr Martin and other ministers had “cynically misled the public on the key issue of housing during the General Election,” Ms McDonald said.
She was speaking after the Central Bank warned today that the Government will miss its housing targets for the next three years.
Mr Martin had been “laughing about Ireland’s housing crisis” in the Oval Office with Donald Trump she alleged – while Mr Martin hit back by saying she had not “the courage or the guts” to go to Washington at all.
Ms McDonald said that last week the current Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, “was caught out for misleading the public” by not disclosing a report from within his own department.
The finance document said the target of 40,000 new housing units in 2024 would not be achieved. She asked if it had been shared with Government colleagues, and said it would be incredible if it had not been.
“You were sitting in the Oval Office laughing about Ireland’s housing crisis. The American president stated that the housing crisis is because Ireland is doing so well that it’s a good problem,” Ms McDonald said.
“You replied, ‘that’s a pretty good answer, Mr President’.
“Do you think it’s a pretty good answer for people locked out of home ownership, for renters crucified with rip off rents? For young people unable to get a start in life, choosing between staying at home with their parents or going to Australia?
“Do you think it’s a good answer for mothers and fathers? Forced into homelessness or children being raised in B&Bs and in hotel rooms?” she asked.
“Your sniggering interaction hurt a lot of people, Taoiseach. You made light of their suffering. So the Government misleads people on housing at home, and then laughs at them abroad.”
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the spiralling housing crisis was supposedly because we “are doing too well in Ireland,” as President Trump had said.
Mr Martin’s reply was “that’s a very good answer, Mr President,” she noted.
Ms Bacik said the Government had been moving “at a snail’s pace on housing,” and she agreed that the outgoing Coalition had misled the public on achieving housing targets during the General Election.
Claims of achieving 40,000 homes last year were nothing more than Government propaganda, she said.
The Central Bank was projecting a fall in completions in years ahead, because the financing was not there, she said.
Mr Martin had said at the White House that the number one issue in Ireland is Housing. “We’ve got to build more houses, and build them faster to give the young people of Ireland an opportunity to buy a home or to afford to rent a house,” he said.
He added: “I addressed the housing issue in a serious and substantive way when I was asked a question during the press conference in the Oval Office.
“I’ve consistently said that this is the number one issue.”
He told Ms McDonald: “You choose not to go to Washington, a big mistake, in my view.”
He repeated that 50,000 houses a year were needed, but Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan said the target for 2025 was 41,000 homes. He asked if it was going to be met.
Mr Martin said that no matter what target was set, the Opposition would claim Government failure. If the Government exceeded its target, as it did in 2022, they would claim that the target was not set high enough.
The Taoiseach said there had to be work on getting developers and private sector investors to work on brownfield sites.
He admitted there had been a significant decline in planning permissions last year. He confirmed: “We want to get to 41,000 this year. It’s going to be very challenging.”