EconomyNews
Exclusive: Ben Carson Says He’s Not ‘Going Anywhere’
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who has faced intense scrutiny and even calls for his ouster over a furniture order, said in an… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Failed Tax Subsidy Should Have Been Ditched. Instead, Congress Expanded It.
Hidden among the budget-busting provisions of the last omnibus spending bill is an example of the swamp at its worst. It’s a renewal of a… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Maryland Bill Seeks to Drive Out Airbnb, Other Hotel Competition
Over the last decade, short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO have expanded and provided an economic boom to many communities. Yet several localities… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Airbnb May Not Be Good for Hotels, but It’s a Boon for Everyone Else
Cities, counties, and states waging a war against short-term rentals by imposing hefty fines and burdensome regulations on hosts and booking platforms, such as Airbnb… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Man Wants to Build 2 Houses. California Regulations Have Stonewalled Him for 20 Years.
Thomas Mahon never thought it would take 20 years to build two houses in California. But that’s exactly how long it’s taken—and his legal fight… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Tariffs on Canadian Lumber Are Hurting American Homebuyers
The import of softwood lumber from Canada, such as pine, spruce, and fir, into the United States is an issue of contention dating back to… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Atrocious Housing Rule Ben Carson Can End
One of the primary goals of the Obama administration was to use the full force of the federal government to force red state, suburban, and… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Private Capital, Not Crony Government Housing Trust Funds, Should Finance Housing Markets
Recently, the House Financial Services Committee marked up a bill that would prevent Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, under certain financial conditions, from funding two… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Undoing the Federal Government’s Reverse Mortgage Fiasco
Because of the largesse of federally financed subsidies in the Federal Housing Administration’s reverse-mortgage program, the federal government has gradually crowded out private insurers from… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Federal Housing Administration Should Not Terminate Mortgage Insurance Premiums
Only a few years after the Federal Housing Administration required $1.7 billion in special appropriations from Congress to cover losses in its single-family housing mortgage… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Tax Deduction Forces Americans to Subsidize High-Tax States
Every year when Americans file for their tax returns, the federal government allows them to deduct their state and local taxes, including their property taxes…. Read More
EconomyCommentary
Property Tax Deduction Is a Huge Boon to Wealthy Taxpayers, Not Average Americans
Tax reform is supposed to be about lowering rates and getting rid of deductions and credits to help generate higher economic growth, and to let… Read More
EconomyCommentary
How Keeping the Property Tax Deduction Could Backfire on the Middle Class
On the eve of the release of their tax reform proposal, GOP leaders are considering keeping the property tax portion of the state and local… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Add Homebuilders to the List of Industries Hurt by Tariffs
New data show that protectionism is taking a toll on the confidence of homebuilders. Last month, homebuilder confidence hit its lowest reading since November 2016,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Senate Effort Could Lead to Another Housing Bubble
The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a hearing last week to lay out guiding principles for housing finance reform legislation. While it is… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Fannie Mae Should Rethink Its Plans to Expand Role in Housing Finance Sector
According to recent reports, Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise backed by federal taxpayers, plans to expand its role in the housing finance system by further… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Seattle Ordinance Limiting Landlord Rights Undermines Economic Liberty and Should Be Rescinded
Should a landlord be required to rent an apartment to the first “qualified” person to appear on his or her doorstep? The city of Seattle… Read More
EconomyCommentary
It’s Time to Denationalize the US Reverse Mortgage Market
Since 1989, when the Department of Housing and Urban Development started to pilot home equity conversion mortgages to U.S. homeowners over the age of 62,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Harmful Housing Rule Deserves to Be Overturned by Congress
In the last few months of the Obama administration, the Federal Housing Finance Agency advanced a final rule for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac called… Read More
EconomyNews
Before Trump Called for Cuts in This Government Program, Obama Did
The president’s budget called for slashing funding for a block grant program primarily because it was difficult to determine whether it was getting the desired… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Los Angeles Voters Right to Reject Anti-Housing Ballot Measure
The cost of living in Southern California dodged a bullet on Tuesday when Los Angeles voters rejected ballot measure “S.” The measure would have made… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Obama Told Us ‘Elections Have Consequences.’ Here’s One Way to Reverse His Liberal Legacy.
“Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.” These were the infamous words President Barack Obama used to scold congressional Republicans… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Government Intervention in Housing Has Always Been Bad. Here’s Why Today Is No Different.
Ever since the federal government embedded itself into the U.S. housing market, it has caused problems that ultimately cost taxpayers trillions of dollars. Most policymakers… Read More
EconomyNews
Ben Carson, Critic of ‘Government Dependency,’ Picked to Lead Housing Agency
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former rival Ben Carson to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Trump transition team announced Monday. “Ben… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Obama Fair Housing Rules Open Door to Unintended Consequences
The Obama administration is pulling on both ends of the rope in the tug-of-war over housing regulation. Heritage Foundation calculations found that the typical American… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Regulation Is Holding Back a Real Housing Recovery
Seven years after its collapse, the U.S. housing market still has not experienced a real recovery. The heavy-handed and misguided federal policy that was supposed… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Proposed Legislation Would Increase Bureaucratic Interference in Housing Market
The Senate may move forward this week on an energy bill that would result in more government meddling and wasting taxpayer dollars on activities better… Read More
EconomyCommentary
How the Government Held Back a Real Housing Market Recovery in 2015
Seven years after the housing market collapse, the housing market continued a lopsided recovery in 2015. Overall, the housing market was stalled by a combination… Read More
EconomyNews
Government Agency Gave $10 Million Loan Guarantee to Renovate Apartments Valued at $4 Million
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The Department of Housing and Urban Development provided a $9.4-million loan guarantee to renovate an apartment complex here eight months after the owner… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Thanks to Federal Assistance, Low-Income Americans Live in Luxury Apartments in Chicago
The U.S. inspector general estimates that 25,226 households occupying public housing units exceed the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD)’s 2014 eligibility income limits. In… Read More
