Here’s how Trump could turn Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into cash cows delivering billions to taxpayers

Washington Watch

The move could come at the expense of existing shareholders

Last Updated: May 31, 2025 at 9:40 a.m. ET
First Published: May 30, 2025 at 11:57 a.m. ET

President Donald Trump is ready to make major reforms to government-owned housing-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and to potentially break with Republican orthodoxy by maintaining the federal conservatorship the companies have operated under for nearly two decades.

The president said in two social-media posts over the past nine days that Fannie FNMA and Freddie FMCC are “amazing companies” that are “throwing off cash,” and arguing that now would be the time for the U.S. to monetize them for taxpayers by taking the companies public.