The House will begin debate today on its fiscal year (FY) 2018 omnibus spending package, which includes funding for affordable housing and community development investments at HUD and USDA, as well as several key amendments.
BACKGROUND
Because of very low spending limits set by Republican leaders, House appropriators were not able to provide the funding needed to maintain FY17 program levels and to ensure that every household currently receiving housing assistance can remain in their homes.
Affordable housing and community development programs fare far better in the Senate Transportation and HUD (THUD) bill than in the House version, which eliminates more than 140,000 housing vouchers families are expected to use next year. Without this assistance, families are at immediate risk of eviction and, in worst cases, homelessness. The bill also reduces flexible resources used by states and localities to build and preserve affordable housing and address community needs. For more details, see NLIHC’s updated budget chart and analysis of the bill.
TAKE ACTION
The House will vote on several amendments to the spending bill that directly impact affordable housing and community development. Please contact your representative today and ask them to support/oppose the following amendments:
SUPPORT:
- An amendment from Representative Dan Kildee (D-MI) that would increase funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program by $100 million.
OPPOSE:
- An amendment from Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH) to shift Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) funding designated for private nonprofit organizations toward state and local governments. Currently, nonprofits use FHIP funds to help enforce federal fair housing laws and are responsible for addressing 70% of all housing discrimination complaints nationwide. State and local agencies may participate in the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP).
- Three amendments offered by Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) that would substantially decrease funding for HUD programs. The first amendment would decrease funding for project-based rental assistance by $266 million. The second would decrease funding for tenant-based rental assistance by more than $177 million. The third would reduce overall funding for HUD by 2%.
- An amendment from Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY) that would shift funding from the public housing operating fund to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) withdrew a harmful amendment that would have prohibited HUD from implementing its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule and making available its AFFH assessment tool, which provide states and local communities with the guidance and resources they need to better fulfill their decades-old legal obligation to promote housing choice.
To contact your representative’s offices by phone, call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or go to NLIHC’s website and enter your zip code in the “Find Your Elected Officials” box.