The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) held their Member's Day hearing on March 9, where representatives were invited to speak about pressing funding needs related to housing and transportation.
Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) emphasized the importance of investing in repairs for public housing and pushed against the large cuts to non-defense discretionary spending proposed by the White House.
Representative Nannette Barragán (D-CA) encouraged members to fund Continuum of Care programs and to increase funding for Housing Choice Vouchers. "Homelessness is an issue of epidemic proportions, but we don't have to accept it,” she said. “It's a solvable problem."
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) voiced strong support for Community Development Block Grants and encouraged the committee to embrace HUD's mission of providing affordable housing for as many Americans as possible. Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ) voiced similar support and advocated for stabilizing the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program funding. "In my district in New Jersey,” Mr. Sires said, “HOME funds have been instrumental in providing affordable housing to my constituents."