Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government-sponsored enterprises that played a prominentrole in the financial crisis of 2008, and the federal government have come to a crossroads. The government must make key decisions about their structure, and indeed, their very existence. The government has played an important role in the American housing market since the early 1930s, when the Great Depression ushered in housing programs to promote a stable society. The government's role expanded further during the recent housing and financial crisis--Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now dominate the American housing.