Washington Examiner economics reporter Zach Halaschak noted that after months of negotiations between the House and Senate, a sweeping housing package is poised to become one of the rare bipartisan legislative victories of the year.
Halaschak said the bill has undergone extensive revisions as congressional leaders worked to reconcile competing priorities.
“What we’ve seen really, for months, is this bill’s gone from the Senate side, and has gone to the House side. The House side has their changes, the Senate side has their changes,” Halaschak said on Fox News’s LiveNOW from FOX Sunday.
“Now, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act has finally been agreed upon by both chambers,” Halaschak said.
Halaschak noted that while the housing deal marks a significant bipartisan achievement, broader economic conditions remain in focus, particularly as the Federal Reserve weighs its next moves on interest rates amid lingering inflation pressures and uncertainty tied to global energy markets.
The Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to keep its benchmark interest rates unchanged. “There’s concern that if you were to cut interest rates as President Donald Trump has long wanted, it could actually cause inflation to get worse,” Halaschak said.
SENATE EXPECTED TO VOTE ON MAJOR HOUSING BILL AFTER TALKS ON CONTROVERSIAL PROVISIONS
Halaschak noted that markets currently expect policymakers to maintain a cautious stance, with the central bank seen as remaining in “wait and see” mode as officials assess whether inflation continues to cool or proves more persistent than expected.
“I think it’s kind of fifty-fifty right now whether the Fed holds the rest of the year or whether they hike. I think it’s going to be very dependent on what happens in Iran. It’s kind of just a wait-and-see mode for the Federal Reserve and new Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh,” Halaschak said.
