Update 399 — A Tale of Two Houses:Impact of Inequality on Housing Politics Although not generally considered a major policy remit of the federal government — housing accounts for under one percent of federal spending — housing and related markets represent 15 percent of GDP. Problems in the streets and on the Street have prompted responses on the …
Update 375: Amid Volatility and Shades of ‘08Whither the Housing Market, Where Headed? The next recession is not a matter of it but when. As for how, we look for early warning signs where we wish we had last time. The U.S. housing market was at the epicenter of the financial crisis of 2008, both as …
Update 359 — House Financial Svcs. Cmte. Adopts Eight Bills; Focus on Housing Reform This week, the House Financial Services Committee marked up eight bills, including five housing proposals. Chair Waters has put housing front-and-center in her legislative agenda, with a particular focus on a ‘housing trilogy’ in the areas of affordability, discrimination, and homelessness. …
Update 358 — Here Comes a Housing Pitch: Can Mitch Afford to Swing and Miss? The major piece of unfinished business from the financial crisis of 2008 is housing finance and housing policy generally. The GSEs, under conservatorship since then, and long-standing problems in housing finance and the underlying market have been awaiting comprehensive reform. …
Update 334: Hitting Hill for Humphrey-Hawkins;Powell Cites Concerns, Holds Rates in Place This Tuesday and yesterday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell appeared before Senate and House Committees to report, as the Fed Chair does semi-annually, on the state of the economy and monetary policy. In his July 2018 testimony, Chairman Powell painted a picture of …
Fed Chair Powell Cites Concerns, Holds Rates in Place (February 28) Read More »
Affordable housing has increasingly become a contradiction, as many people are priced out of the property market or struggle with sky-high rents. The issue is a high priority item for House Financial Services Chair, Maxine Waters. Many new freshmen on the House Financial Services Committee have backgrounds in housing policy. Yesterday, the Trump Administration …
Update 315: Rough Waters Ahead for Banks? Maxine Takes Helm at House Financial Svcs. The gavel passing from retiring Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) to Rep. Maxine Waters (CA) at the House Financial Services Committee augurs one of the clearest sea changes in policy and style a U.S. House Committee will see in the 116th …
Maxine Takes Helm at House Financial Svcs. (November 30) Read More »
Update 267 — If Charity Begins at Home, Tell it to the Congressional Majority First This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Fair Housing Act’s signing. That landmark Act authorized the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to limit discrimination in housing. While HUD has helped millions of Americans find stable, affordable housing, …
