House THUD Allocation Cut Even More

The House Committee on Appropriations’ FY14 302b allocation for its Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) is more than 17% less than the House’s FY13 302b allocation for THUD. The FY14 302b allocations were released on May 16 and will be formally announced on May 21.The House’s 302b THUD allocation would force even deeper cuts than those made in FY13, which were the result of those dictated by the 2011 Budget Control Act’s spending limits and the March 1 implementation of sequestration. In addition to funding HUD programs, the THUD Subcommittee also funds the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Maritime Commission, and other agencies. In FY13, the House committee’s 302b THUD allocation provided $51.6 billion in budget authority for the programs under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction. The committee’s FY14 302b allocation to THUD is just $44.1 billion. In March, the Administration requested more than $33 billion in new budget authority for HUD alone in FY14. In as statement issued on May 16, Committee Chair Harold Rogers (R-KY) said “I believe Ranking Member [Nita] Lowey (D-NY) will agree with me that it is paramount for this committee to report all 12 appropriations bills in a timely, thoughtful manner – and as we continue our shared march forward this week, I look forward to working with all of you to see these bills through to the finish line.” He was also quoted as saying that the 302b allocations may be adjusted as FY14 negotiations move forward.On May 3, 2,422 national, state, local, and regional organizations, as well as local officials and governments, sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators calling for an increase to the FY14 THUD 302b subcommittee allocations (see Memo, 5/3). The letter was coordinated by the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding.The Senate Committee on Appropriations is expected to announce its 302b allocations before the end of May. While the House 302b allocation is based on a top-line budget number of $967 billion in discretionary spending for FY14, the Senate’s top line number, which assumes repeal of the sequester’s mandatory cuts while maintaining the Budget Control Act’s spending limits, provides $1.058 trillion for discretionary funding for FY14.Click here to view the House Committee on Appropriations suballocations: http://bit.ly/161Fc0R