White House: Fed Independence Crucial

The White House said Tuesday it was important for the Federal Reserve to be independent, and stressed it has not yet settled on any proposal about government support for the housing market.

Responding to sharp words from Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: ``I certainly think threatening the Fed chairman is not a good idea.''

``When you are president or running for president, you have to think about your words,'' he said. Carney also said there had been no decision yet about reforms to the housing and mortgage market, including the agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Reporting by Alister Bull; Editing by Jackie Frank)