As Trump Pushes Housing Affordability, His Mortgage Chief Undermines It
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- Since taking charge of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Bill Pulte has proposed unconventional ideas like a 50-year mortgage and supported President Trump's plan to restrict Wall Street from buying single-family homes and to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds.
- Despite these headline-grabbing proposals, the FHFA under Pulte has been rolling back rules, firing staff focused on fair lending and climate risk, and reducing attention to low-income borrowers, actions that advocates say will increase costs for those least able to afford homes.
- Critics argue that these incremental changes collectively undermine access to mortgages, contradicting the agency's stated commitment to addressing the housing crisis.
- Established in 2008 to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after the financial crisis, the
