Trump administration

Trump to Powell: It’s a ‘mistake’ to not lower interest rates

President Donald Trump met Thursday with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the White House to discuss economic developments, as Trump continues to press the Fed to lower interest rates. During the meeting, Trump told Powell he’s making “a mistake” by not lowering interest rates, the White House said Thursday. The meeting was at Trump’s […]

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‘Reject Trump HUD cuts,’ city, state leaders tell Congress

A coalition of elected officials across the country is calling on Congress to continue funding of affordable housing programs targeted for elimination by the Trump administration.  Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget calls for the cancellation of the Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnerships programs, both offered through the Department of Housing and

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Federal Court blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs

A federal trade court has blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose broad tariffs under emergency powers — ruling the move exceeded the authority granted to the president by the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade issued the decision Wednesday, siding with plaintiffs who

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Trump: I’m taking Fannie and Freddie ‘public’ with implicit guarantee

President Trump last week promised a quick answer on whether to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government conservatorship. And it appears he’s already reached a decision: it’s time to take them ‘public.’ In a post published on Truth Social Tuesday night, Trump wrote: Our great Mortgage Agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, provide

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Trump’s GSE exit pursuit is complicated (and could be costly)

President Donald Trump’s bombshell Truth Social post on Wednesday night sent the stock prices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac soaring. But removing the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) from conservatorship after 16-plus years would be a complicated endeavor. And if they’re not removed carefully, costs for borrowers could spike. Trump’s announcement that he’s considering a public

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Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget

CFPB blocks state enforcement of federal consumer laws

Russell Vought is the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has withdrawn guidance from the Biden administration that had expanded states’ rights, allowing individual states to broadly enforce violations of federal consumer protection laws. The CFPB under former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra interpreted the Consumer Financial Protection

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DC Circuit Court

Appeals court hears CFPB argument for 90% reduction in force

John Heltman A panel of appellate judges will decide whether the Trump administration can fire 90% of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s staff through a reduction-in-force without impacting the agency’s legally-mandated work. On Friday afternoon, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral arguments on whether a

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FEMA isn’t prepared for hurricane season, acting director concedes

Following a dramatic turn of events at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last week, the newly-installed acting leader acknowledged that the agency does not have a disaster response plan even though hurricane season is jus two weeks away. Former acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton initially raised eyebrows when he was chosen to lead the

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DOGE overestimated savings from real estate lease cuts

Since the start of the second Trump administration, the U.S. DOGE Service — aka the “Department of Government Efficiency” — has been a lightning rod of controversy due to the ways it has sought to curtail government costs. It’s done so by slashing federal jobs, ending congressionally-approved programs and maintaining what some have viewed as

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CFPB dismantled

Trump’s CFPB drops more than half of all pending litigation

The former headquarters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with signage removed.Catherine Leffert The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dismissed or withdrawn more than half of its pending enforcement cases as the Trump administration clears the docket of work it inherited from the Biden era.  Since February, acting CFPB Director Russell Vought has dismissed 17

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