US Senator Warren presses federal housing director to cooperate with probe

Democratic US Senator Elizabeth Warren has written to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, urging him to cooperate with a congressional watchdog's inquiry into his criminal referrals of alleged mortgage fraud. Warren believes the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is obstructing inquiries from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan government agency.

Critics claim that Pulte has politicized the FHFA since becoming its director in March 2025. During his tenure, Pulte has publicly referred to Department of Justice allegations of mortgage fraud by several of President Donald Trump's perceived foes, many of whom have denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the FHFA stated that the agency always engages with GAO inquiries and has responded to every one received this past fiscal year.

Pulte has defended the referrals, stating they are part of his efforts to root out misconduct and fraud in the mortgage markets. GAO is working with the agency and Congress to obtain the information needed to conduct its work. Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, claims the FHFA is not complying with GAO's requests for information, which she says could be illegal and result in unnecessary costs and hindrance to taxpayer protection and congressional oversight.