Writer. Thinker. Advocate. @southwestpolicy https://teapawt.net/t.co/ESUPIml3sW https://teapawt.net/t.co/WVtX1xxpnG
Joined February 2021
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Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
The American Franchise Act protects the franchise business model by clarifying the joint employer standard, thereby providing certainty for small business owners and workers across the country.
As the 119th Congress comes to a close and with affordability high on the minds of voters, we urge the House and Senate to pass this commonsense legislation.
@60PlusAssoc @AmericanFreedom American Association of Senior Citizens @AmerComm @LimitGovt @bluegrasspolicy @CFEconomy @JoinCEANow @4PropertyRights @CASE_forAmerica @GovWaste @FREOPP @illinoispolicy @JobCreatorsUSA @Pinpoint_Policy @RioGrandeFndn @SBECouncil @southwestpolicy @Protectaxpayers
From 2023, with a 10% card-rate cap back in the news: after New Mexico's small-loan cap took effect, SPPI applied at 15 New Mexico credit unions. Two came back with anything favorable, an 86% denial rate. My credit score went from over 800 to 706. southwestpolicy.com/realclea…
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Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
FERC has had backstop power since 2005 to permit power lines over a state's objection. No line has been built under it. The Senate permitting bill would extend that override to nearly everywhere outside Texas, @gschroed87 writes in The Washington Post.
southwestpolicy.com/theres-m…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Could the Eighth Circuit’s Corner Post ruling threaten consumers’ debit cards?
On Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. ET, @RBenSperry joins the panel for CASE’s “What’s In Your Wallet?” webinar.
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Full-service U.S. bank offices: 81,669 in June 2020, 73,154 in June 2026, by our count from FDIC data. New from @patrickmbrenner and me: reject national rate caps, and decide bank applications on the statutory record. southwestpolicy.com/reject-p…
Colorado's first statewide housing needs assessment: nearly 34% of households are cost-burdened. It also finds new apartments outpaced demand over the past year, with surpluses on the Front Range, Colorado Newsline reports. Building works. Keep at it. coloradonewsline.com/2026/11…
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Redwood City's rent-control measure, Measure E, trails 55.3% to 44.7% with ballots still being counted, per the Redwood City Pulse. A 5% cap limits what existing units can charge. It doesn't build the next one. rwcpulse.com/election/2026/1…
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Bellingham voters are approving a ban on rent-pricing software. What brought rents down in Austin: almost 50,000 new rental units in 2023 and 2024, and rents 22% below their August 2023 peak. A ban adds no homes. From my Oct. 23 brief: southwestpolicy.com/rent-pri…
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Just 17% of Greater Boston renter households earn enough to buy a starter home, down from 29% in 2021, per the Boston Foundation's 2026 housing report card, Boston.com reports. Permits fell to a decade low in 2025. That's the number to fix. boston.com/news/local-news/2…
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california's next insurance commissioner on carriers leaving: "they'd love to threaten us, but they don't actually want to leave behind the money that we provide." insurers that can't price risk don't leave. they just stop writing new policies. nbclosangeles.com/news/local…
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From October, with Evan Chang: Bankrate found 87% of American borrowers pay above the competitive rate available to them, about $78,186 over the life of a typical 30-year mortgage. America's most trusted loan is also its most expensive. southwestpolicy.com/the-mora…
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Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
"CITs are less expensive 88 percent of the time." In a December 2025 SPPI brief on collective investment trusts in 401(k) plans, @patrickmbrenner argues that "Employees with defined contribution plans are not losing anything by adopting CITs."
southwestpolicy.com/the-real…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
"Demand for nicotine does not disappear when lawmakers impose bans or punitive taxes. It moves." In a January 2026 SPPI brief, @patrickmbrenner writes: "Cigarettes remain the most dangerous nicotine product legally sold in the United States."
southwestpolicy.com/governme…
Home insurers' ad spending in California rose in December 2024, the month the state finalized rules letting wildfire catastrophe models into rate-setting, per MediaAlpha. Let rates reflect risk and insurers start competing for customers again. financialcontent.com/article…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Fannie and Freddie still require three credit reports; as of Oct. 19, FHFA was studying one or two. Credit checks are under 1% of loan costs, @patrickmbrenner wrote in April, and a single file lets lenders cherry-pick the most flattering data. washingtontimes.com/news/202…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
"Interest-rate caps are price controls, and we oppose them," write @patrickmbrenner and @gschroed87 in a new SPPI brief. It urges Congress to reject national rate caps; SPPI's research argues caps restrict credit for riskier borrowers.
southwestpolicy.com/reject-p…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Who should write the rules for counting corporate carbon emissions? In a March 2026 SPPI brief, @patrickmbrenner argues: "Global coordination can be valuable, but it must not come at the expense of national sovereignty."
southwestpolicy.com/the-carb…
Shelter rose 0.3% in October and accounted for over 30% of the month's CPI increase, per BLS. Rent caps and freezes don't add a single unit. Building more homes is what moves that number. bls.gov/news.release/archive…
U.S. full-service bank offices: 81,669 in June 2020, 73,154 in June 2026. Since September, Enova and OppFi have both withdrawn applications to buy banks. New brief with Greg Schroeder: regulators shouldn't make a rate ceiling a condition of approval. southwestpolicy.com/reject-p…