It's not as melodramatic or drastic as going on a hunger strike or chaining himself to the White House fence, but President Obama's "sequestering" 5 percent of his $400,000 salary — or $20,000 — during the period of fiscal restraint is a nice gesture.
President Obama vowed Thursday to stick with New Yorkers still struggling 17 days after Superstorm Sandy "until the rebuilding is complete" after getting an up-close look at devastated neighborhoods rendered unlivable.
Back in the 1990s, the federal government tried an unusual social experiment: It offered thousands of poor women in big-city public housing a chance to live in more affluent neighborhoods.
Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, wants to skip raises for thousands of state employees to help cope with the Illinois budget crisis.
Shaun Donovan, secretary of housing and urban development, said Sunday he thinks it's unlikely that home prices will continue to drop and calls it a good time to buy a home.
@-Text.noindent:Several months ago, first lady Michelle Obama unveiled her signature program to combat childhood obesity ("It takes a vittle," Comment & Analysis, Dec. 15). Mrs. Obama plans to unleash all the mighty forces of the federal government to the tune of approximately $8 billion for a program called "Let's Move."
As Congress and the White House debate how to patch up the housing market after four years of crisis, one clear lesson has emerged: Political leaders for the first time in decades no longer see the American dream of homeownership as the all-consuming goal it once was.
The Obama administration Friday morning endorsed a very gradual phasing-down of the enormous role Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now play in the housing market, taking a first step by reducing the size of loans they can guarantee.
President Obama's top housing official said Wednesday that lenders are within their rights to resume foreclosures this month despite allegations that they erred in processing documents. But he said the banks could face fines if found to have broken the law.
