FHFA chief says Trump deployed $200B to slash mortgage rates, claims impact was immediate
Pulte says admin rejected selling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, instead used cash to support bond market and ease pressure on homebuyers
Trump touts US economy during State of the Union as mortgage rates hit new lows
U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte joins 'Mornings with Maria' to discuss the state of the housing market and weighs in on President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech.
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William J. Pulte said President Donald Trump is moving aggressively to drive down borrowing costs, deploying roughly $200 billion from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase mortgage bonds — a step he said lowered rates "boom right away."
Pulte joined FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo on "Mornings with Maria" to say the administration's actions directly targeted affordability and market confidence.
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The effort follows a sharp turnaround in mortgage conditions over the past year, with rates now carrying a "five handle" after hovering near 8% previously, according to Pulte. He credited the president's broader inflation fight and direct intervention in the mortgage market for the shift, arguing that lenders have already tightened spreads as risk comes out of the system.
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"They tried to convince President Trump... to sell Fannie and Freddie for $100 billion," Pulte said, calling the idea "nonsense," and noting some estimates value the firms far higher. Instead of a sale, he said Trump used the enterprises' cash to support the bond market and ease pressure on homebuyers.
"In this case, $200 billion reduced mortgage rates. Boom right away," Pulte said.
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Pulte also pointed to additional policy changes, including a push to limit institutional ownership of homes and ongoing coordination with homebuilders to increase supply. He said the administration's focus is restoring affordability on both the supply and demand sides, emphasizing that "we need to be a nation of owners, not renters."
MORTGAGE RATES FALL TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 2022
Whether Fannie and Freddie return to the public markets remains a presidential decision, Pulte added, saying an IPO is "more likely than not," but stressing that "everything is on the table."
Pointing to the $200 billion mortgage bond purchase, Pulte said the decision underscores Trump’s willingness to deploy capital quickly to move markets.
"President Trump just finds money everywhere he goes, and he uses it for the benefit of the American people," Pulte said.
