Fannie Mae-No Politics (FNMA)

[Robert from yahoo bd]

Maxine's pissed: https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2021/10/07/housing-aid-cuts-battle-515588

"Waters, who proposed the funding as chair of the House Financial Services Committee, said in an interview that "I’m going to fight as hard as I can to keep as much housing as I can in the reconciliation bill." The cuts represented a major threat to a signature proposal from the California Democrat, who has prioritized affordable housing and homelessness throughout her time in office. Housing lobbyists were also mobilizing to shield their priorities in the sweeping plan.

“It’s going to be rough," Waters said."

“My wish, if we have to cut, is that we’re all going to take about the same percentage cut across the board, and then [committee chairs] can figure out where we want to make those reductions” within each section, Waters said.

Industry lobbyists and housing advocates are also rushing to protect favored provisions. Civil rights groups are warning the White House that excluding housing investments from the bill amounts to dropping racial equity from the biggest social spending measure in a generation.

“We have all these coalitions of industry groups, housing groups, civil rights groups who are beating down the door of the White House to make sure that they keep housing provisions in the reconciliation bill,” said Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “If you don’t address housing, you’re not going to be able to address anything else that you’re trying to get done from an equity standpoint.”

“Housing is the single biggest way for people to start on the ladder of economic opportunity in America,” said James Tobin, chief lobbyist at the National Association of Home Builders. “If this package is about bringing economic and social justice to people as the president has said, then housing needs to be a part of it.”