Democrat Leader Opposes DeMint's Reforms to Fannie, Freddie Hoping to stave off a fight from conservatives on the housing bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a direct appeal to K Street lobbyists for help. RedState has obtained a copy of the e-mail from a Reid staffer sent this afternoon. The request to K Street came shortly after Roll Call reported that Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) would hold up the legislation unless it’s amended to include a provision prohibiting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from lobbying Congress. Reid staffer Mark Wetjen wrote in the message: "We are informed that Sen. DeMint would like to seek an amendment to the House amendment. While we have not seen Sen. DeMint's amendment, it's fair to say that such an amendment could complicate debate and delay passage of the housing bill." DeMint has argued that for the housing bill to achieve real reform, the lobbying practices of Fannie and Freddie must be curtailed. Democrats have included some long-sought reforms to the government-sponsored entities in the legislation, but DeMint want them to go further. “They could at least include some legislation that restricted the massive lobbying that Fannie and Freddie have used to hush people up for years,” DeMint told Roll Call. He added that without restrictions on their lobbying practices, the companies would continue to resist government oversight. Reid’s message to K Street is the latest indication that Democrats a ...
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