Rep.Subramanyam Launches Inquiry Into Mass Firing Of Indian Americans At Fannie Mae

India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) has launched an official inquiry into the abrupt termination of dozens of Indian American employees at Fannie Mae following allegations of unethical conduct and fraud. In a letter to William Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Priscilla Almodovar, President and CEO of Fannie Mae, Subramanyam demanded immediate answers and supporting evidence related to the mass firings.

The controversy centers around Fannie Mae’s Matching Gift Program, which allows employees to double their charitable donations—up to $5,000 annually—to approved nonprofits. According to reports, nearly 200 Indian American employees, many of them of Telugu origin and residing in Northern Virginia, were terminated on April 8 for allegedly abusing this program. Several are accused of coordinating with nonprofit groups—some reportedly linked to the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) and the American Telugu Association (ATA)—to falsify donations and unlawfully obtain matching funds from the company.

Subramanyam on April 9 raised serious concerns about the process. “It has been brought to my attention that Fannie Mae has accused hundreds of my constituents in the Indian American community of fraudulent behavior and fired them without conducting a full investigation or providing evidence,” said Subramanyam. “I have spoken with many of these employees in our community, and they deserve due process. Fannie Mae owes them, Congress, and the American people an explanation immediately.”

Subramanyam’s letter—which was also signed by two other Congressmen, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Shri Thanedar—emphasized that many of the terminated employees had longstanding careers at Fannie Mae with positive performance records. Some have said they never made donations to the organizations in question.

While Fannie Mae has not made a public statement beyond confirming the layoffs were part of broader restructuring efforts involving 700 staffers, sources indicate that the terminations specifically tied to fraud number around 200—primarily targeting Indian American employees.

The situation has drawn comparisons to a similar incident earlier this year when Apple fired around 50 employees—many of them Indians—at its Cupertino headquarters for manipulating financial data to increase compensation.