Senate Banking Leaders May Delay Vote on GSE Reform
Senate Banking Committee leaders may delay the April 29 vote on their mortgage finance reform bill as they struggle to secure additional votes. Chairman Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) are said to be trying to attract as many as four more votes. The situation has even sparked rumors about whether the original coalition of committee members from both political parties remains intact. Johnson and Crapo's bill would eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and create a new housing finance system. But the bill, which would preserve a government guarantee for the mortgage market in the event of catastrophic losses, needs more support from Democrats to have enough momentum to make it to the Senate floor this year ahead of the November elections.