Cassandra Dumay
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Articles by Cassandra Dumay
The bipartisan housing bill is law. Now comes the hard part.
Congress' historic effort to boost the nation's housing supply passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support and became law earlier this month. It also left a mountain of paperwork for Washington's significantly shrunken federal agencies, which are now tasked with turning dozens of new policies into reality.
Trump refuses to sign landmark housing bill, taking aim at GOP
The bill is still expected to become law despite the president's protest of congressional inaction over an unrelated elections bill. President Donald Trump said Friday he would not sign Congress' much-awaited bipartisan housing affordability legislation — protesting lawmakers' inaction on his preferred elections bill, the SAVE America Act.
‘Hypocrisy’: Congress wants more homes. HUD is closing its low-income housing pipeline.
Zohran Mamdani 3 hours ago NYC rent board dissenter warns Mamdani-backed freeze could hurt affordable housing over time: 'Slow burn' Fox News - James Cirrone • 3h Arpit Gupta, the only member of New York City's Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) to vote against the rent freeze, told Fox News Digital the policy could gradually push older rent-stabilized buildings into disrepair by depriving landlords of revenue needed for capital improvements.
‘Hypocrisy': Congress wants more homes. HUD is closing its low-income housing pipeline. Original
Localities say the policy change feels like "mixed messaging" amid a broader federal effort to increase affordable housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to shut down the “Restore-Rebuild” initiative, which helps local governments build new homes eligible for federal rental assistance.
Buy America, Build When?
Editor's note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro Housing is more complicated — and more important — than Republicans versus Democrats.
Appropriators bicker over Trump's arch
Republicans blocked an amendment that would have prevented construction of the project. The House Appropriations Committee broke into a partisan debate Wednesday over President Donald Trump's arch project. The panel voted 32-24, along party lines, to block an amendment from Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) that would prevent construction of Trump's proposal to build a “Triumphal Arch” in Washington.
How Trump’s new acting intel chief Bill Pulte won him over Original
In other words, Pulte has an unusually high political profile for a financial regulator, with his time at FHFA characterized by fierce loyalty to the president. “Trump loves that,” Stephen Moore, a former economic adviser who remains close to the president, said of Pulte’s willingness to go after Trump’s perceived enemies.
The White House wants to eliminate housing funds. Republicans aren’t having it. Original
“I am disappointed to see [the Office of Management and Budget] propose the elimination of these important programs,” Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee chair Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) told the department’s Secretary Scott Turner at a hearing last week reviewing the administration’s request to cut $10.7 billion from his budget — a 13 percent reduction to its discretionary spending. The cost of living is a defining issue in the 2026 elections.
The White House wants to eliminate housing funds. Republicans aren’t having it.
Trump Administration 15 hours ago Trump’s War Is Staggering to an Incoherent Defeat The Atlantic - By Tom Nichols • 15h Even the president’s supporters are alarmed. No one yet knows the details of the Iran deal that President Trump has been teasing on social media for the past day or so.
More landlords and lenders are using AI. Fewer regulators are checking them for bias. Original
But because AI models are trained with data that reflect historic patterns of discrimination, some are warning that these new systems could have the opposite effect. That fear has intensified since the executive branch began narrowing federal anti-discrimination enforcement.
The Trump administration wants banks back in the mortgage business. Banks have other ideas.
The Trump administration and the Federal Reserve want banks to get back into the mortgage business, as part of their efforts to make homes more affordable. Banks, though, aren’t likely to go along. Regulators are hoping that pushing mortgage origination back to banks and away from less-regulated lenders will unlock more loans for homebuyers, give federal agencies more insight into risks brewing in the housing market and boost revenue for regulated financial institutions.
Hard truths, soft metals
Editor’s note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day’s biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. Aluminum prices were already high before the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran.
Hawley investigates FICO for mortgage credit scoring
The Missouri Republican says the increasing cost of credit scores is straining homebuyers in an already unaffordable market. Sen. Josh Hawley is launching an investigation into how the dominant player in credit scoring prices its services for the mortgage market. The Missouri Republican sent a letter Monday to Fair Isaac Corp. , known more widely by its acronym FICO, announcing his intention to investigate the company's price increases for credit scores.
Democratic AGs sue HUD over anti-discrimination enforcement roll back Original
The HUD guidance to state agencies reflects an administration-wide effort to pull back on anti-discrimination regulations that some Republicans and industry advocates consider overly zealous. HUD did not immediately return request for comment.
Trump goes his own way on housing Original
The executive orders are notable as the president has remained unusually quiet when it comes to the housing legislation battle gearing up on Capitol Hill, where GOP lawmakers are struggling to define a clear affordability message ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Instead of pushing Congress to come to an agreement on housing legislation, so far Trump has said the top priority should be passing a partisan election bill that doesn’t have the Senate votes to overcome major procedural hurdles.
HUD moves to end assistance for families with mixed immigration status Original
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the days of illegal aliens, ineligibles, and fraudsters gaming the system and riding the coattails of American taxpayers are over,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement.
Appropriators call for watchdog review of HUD HQ move Original
As POLITICO reported last week, HUD is moving ahead with its plan to move roughly 3000 federal employees from the department’s Washington headquarters to a new building in Alexandria, Virginia, amid questions over the legality and cost of the relocation. The appropriators’ letter to GAO sheds new light on how little information legislators say they have received about the department’s relocation.
Housing problems
Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | President DONALD TRUMP is eager to show voters he is making homes more affordable. But even some allies concede there’s little chance his policies will have a meaningful impact by Election Day.
Trump tries to tackle housing costs - but even allies say relief is unlikely soon Original
But economists say those policies, to the extent any lower costs, are likely to have only minimal impact at best. “I don’t think there’s any magic bullet there — certainly not in the next 10 months,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The proposals that have been put forth are really on the margin.
Legal, funding concerns loom over HUD’s relocation to Virginia Original
HUD has defended its accelerated relocation plans as important to save taxpayer dollars and protect the well-being of employees, but critics say the administration’s efforts to push the move forward with limited congressional input reflects a broader White House pattern of sidelining the legislative branch. “It shows the same kind of contempt for Congress and congressional oversight as pretty much every other part of the Trump administration demonstrates,” Warren said.
Pulte: ‘We don’t have to do’ Fannie and Freddie IPOs Original
In response to an inquiry for this story, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement, “President Trump pledged to put an end to Joe Biden’s inflation and affordability crisis, and the Administration is constantly exploring new policy actions to do just that.” Pulte’s comments reflect a recent shift in how administration officials have publicly discussed selling stock in Fannie and Freddie, which provide liquidity to the home loan market by purchasing mortgages from lenders to...
‘Freaked out’ about the bond market: White House reels from Powell probe Original
The inquiry, which blindsided many White House aides, is renewing fears over the future of the central bank’s independence and offering fresh fodder for concerned Senate Republicans, many of whom will be needed to confirm the next Fed chair. Powell, whose term as chair ends in May, fanned those flames Sunday night, releasing an unusually direct statement framing the investigation as an attempt to pressure the institution to lower borrowing costs.
Pulte backs away from 50-year mortgage Original
Pulte’s comment indicates that the proposal for 50-year mortgages, which was panned by officials in the White House as well as industry experts, will not be among the actions in Trump’s order. POLITICO reported that Pulte had originally brought that proposal to the president.
Trump announces $200B bond purchase in bid to lower mortgage rates
President Donald Trump on Thursday called for the purchase of $200 billion in mortgage bonds in an effort to decrease home loan costs. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social he is instructing [his] Representatives to BUY $200 BILLION DOLLARS IN MORTGAGE BONDS, in order to address the national housing affordability crisis that he blames on the Biden administration.
Trump announces $200B bond purchase in bid to lower mortgage rates Original
The post came one day after Trump announced plans to roll out a slate of housing affordability measures ahead of the 2026 elections. Trump previously announced that he was planning to work with Congress to ban institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. POLITICO has reported the White House is working on a broader executive order to address voters’ cost-of-living concerns.
Federal judge temporarily blocks HUD permanent housing cuts for homeless Original
A HUD spokesperson said in a statement after the hearing that the department “remains committed to program reforms intended to assist our nation’s most vulnerable citizens and will continue to do so in accordance with the law.” McElroy’s decision requires HUD to maintain the status quo in its funding for the Continuum of Care program, which partners with local organizations to connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and resources, until a new notice is released following a process...
Trump’s AI moratorium threatens state-level crackdown on housing costs Original
Rent and home prices have become a key cost-of-living concern heading into the midterms, while national policymakers attempt to advance bipartisan solutions for low- and middle-income Americans struggling to afford housing.
'You can’t just talk about gas and groceries’: GOP grapples with housing affordability message Original
Republicans are also looking to shape their affordability message to maintain gains with Hispanic and Latino voters. Among Hispanic respondents to POLITICO’s poll, housing and groceries shared first place as a top cost-of-living issue. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) said housing was one of the main affordability concerns that she has heard from the constituents in her majority-Hispanic district.
Fannie Mae's fraud watchdogs doubted charges against James Original
In response to Soward, Fannie Mae’s vice president of financial crimes, Jennifer Horne, told the chief mortgage fraud investigator that the “director [is] asking how we know that the neice [sic] has lived there since oct 2020,” an apparent reference to James’ grandniece, Nakia Thompson, who has reportedly lived in the home at issue in the case since it was purchased in 2020.
‘Band-aid,’ ‘distraction’: Experts slam Pulte, Trump 50-year mortgage idea Original
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte posted on X Saturday that the Trump administration is working on directing government-owned housing finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to support 50-year home mortgages, calling the move ”a complete game changer.” President Donald Trump also posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, supporting the idea.
Homebuilders push new frontier for Fannie and Freddie: Construction loans Original
His group has pitched the proposal as a way to expand the housing supply and bring prices down, addressing an affordable housing crisis that Trump has repeatedly drawn attention to. Supporters argue it’s one of the limited options that the federal government has to address housing affordability.
Why Democrats have hope in a deep-red Tennessee district
Democrats say they have a shot at winning a district that Donald Trump won by 18 points last year. Tennessee’s 5th District, currently held by U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, stands out as Democrats’ biggest reach on its target list. Democrats are bullish on the seat because the most recent candidate to enter the race, Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, flipped a city that had been GOP controlled for 12 years.
Lawmakers are reconsidering in-person town halls after Charlie Kirk's killing. Original
But Kirk’s killing Wednesday on a Utah college campus compounded their sense that large-scale public appearances are paying diminishing political returns with a new sense of anxiety. GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon cited “intentionally disruptive” audience behavior in announcing earlier this month that he would stick exclusively to telephone town halls and smaller group meetings for the foreseeable future.
The GOP shift on earmarks
IN TODAY’S EDITION: — GOP eyes earmarks in shutdown talks — Schumer: Dems all in on energy cost attacks — Emergency alerts in peril post-rescissions House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris is supporting the inclusion of so-called community project funding in a continuing resolution. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Vulnerable Republican incumbents and GOP fiscal hawks are teaming up over a historically contentious issue: earmarks.
Texas maps trigger Democratic discord
IN TODAY’S EDITION: — Latino leaders line up behind Casar — Schumer vows to block extension of Trump’s DC police takeover — RSC pitched potential Medicare reforms Rep. Greg Casar's district is redrawn in a new Texas map proposal to not include his home town of Austin. | AP The new Texas maps are causing quiet discord among House Democrats in danger of being displaced. The GOP proposal threatens to draw Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar into the same seat — a majority nonwhite Austin-area district.
The GOP’s redistricting dissenters
IN TODAY’S EDITION: — These Republicans say it’s the wrong time for redistricting — Shutdown talks look bleaker by the day — First in IC: Crypto targets Sherrod Brown again Rep. Mike Lawler is one of several blue-state Republicans against their party's mid-decade redistricting effort. | Francis Chung/POLITICO President Donald Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push is running into serious concerns from some GOP factions, Lisa Kashinsky and Meredith Lee Hill report.
Chris Murphy goes all in on funding bill boycott
IN TODAY’S EDITION: — The one Dem voting against funding bills — First in IC: Cruz preps new AI bill — Trump’s BLS pick has to get past Cassidy Sen. Chris Murphy has opposed all the funding measures advanced during Senate appropriations markups for which he was present. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Sen. Chris Murphy wants to pick a fight with Donald Trump over government funding — even if his fellow Democrats don’t, Jennifer Scholtes reports.
How Congress could enter the fight over D.C.
IN TODAY’S EDITION: — GOP eyes congressional action on D.C. crime — Johnson’s Epstein headache continues to throb — Judge deals Trump another impoundment blow House Oversight Chair James Comer plans to haul in D.C. officials to Capitol Hill for a hearing next month. | Francis Chung/POLITICO President Donald Trump’s targeting of D.C. crime is adding to Congress’ busy to-do list this fall.
Another megabill? Senate Republicans have their doubts. Original
And Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said he’s open to considering as many as 200 tax proposals from his members that were ultimately not included in the first megabill. But most senators have questions about what could go into another reconciliation package — and they’re casting doubts on whether it’s even politically possible to do this all over again. “You have to have a reason to do it,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).
GOP backlash or ‘Democrat op’? Town hall outrage generates split-screen reaction Original
This time around, there is a fierce debate underway about whether the town hall explosions are part of a genuine backlash to GOP governance in Washington — one that could presage another wave election as seen in 2010 and 2018 — or just another reflection of America’s political polarization. Many Republicans are dismissing the outbursts, concluding they have been choreographed by Democrats and groups aligned with them and do not reflect genuine voter sentiment.
Trump and Schumer head for a high-stakes rematch
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IN TODAY’S EDITION: — Shutdown deal hinges on Trump and Schumer — Jeffries calls for redistricting counterattack — GOP’s megabill sales pitch meets early jeers Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Donald Trump will have to negotiate to keep the government open past September. | Francis Chung/POLITICO The high-stakes battle to keep the federal government open past Sept. 30 will depend on two men coming to terms: Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer.
By Calen Razor Verified, Mia McCarthy Verified, Benjamin Guggenheim Verified, Cassandra Dumay Verified
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POLITICO
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It’s down to Trump, Schumer and Thune
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IN TODAY’S EDITION: — Maybe Trump and Schumer should just get in a room — Big emotions in Senate funding talks — Mullins, Heinrich talk member security revamp Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are negotiating government funding bills and the president's nominees. | Francis Chung/POLITICO The Senate’s summer exit is getting complicated as lawmakers brace for some weekend work. Tensions are running high over government funding negotiations.
By Calen Razor Verified, Cassandra Dumay Verified, Mia McCarthy Verified, Benjamin Guggenheim Verified
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