In its proposed Budget Views and Estimates for FY12 (see article elsewhere in Memo), the House Financial Services Committee asserts that the National Housing Trust Fund duplicates other Federal housing programs, such as the HOME Investment Partnership program, that provide grants to state and local governments to be used for increasing home ownership and affordable housing opportunities for low and very low income Americans.

The NHTF Campaign sent a letter to Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) and Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee Chairwoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) expressing concern about this statement. In the letter, the campaign detailed the several ways that the NHTF is different from the HOME program, and pointed out that the level of funding for current federal low income housing programs was woefully less than the need.  The campaign requested that change to this language when the Committee marks up its Views and Estimates on March 15, 2011.

To see the letter from the NHTF Campaign to Chairman Bachus and Chairwoman Biggert, go to: http://www.nlihc.org/doc/Bachus_Biggert_Letter.pdf