TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Senators and Representative to Support the FY16 Omnibus Spending Bill

Both the House and then the Senate are expected to vote on the omnibus spending bill on Friday, December 18. If Congress fails to pass the omnibus spending bill, they will need to pass a long-term or year-long Continuing Resolution. A Continuing Resolution would flat fund all housing programs at FY15 levels. Among other negative impacts, this would grossly underfund voucher and project-based rental assistance renewals, as well as Section 202 and Section 811 renewals. Congress must act to pass the FY16 omnibus spending bill without delay. 

BACKGROUND

Although it is not perfect, the FY16 omnibus spending bill:

  • Does not raid the National Housing Trust Fund to pay for any other program.
  • Increases funding for the HOME program by $50 million to $950 million.
  • Fully funds the renewal of all housing choice vouchers in use as well as vouchers about to be leased up by new voucher holders.
  • Provides funding for about 8,000 new Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers.
  • Fully funds the renewal of project-based rental assistance contracts for calendar year 2016.
  • Increases funding for both the public housing operating and capital funds.
  • Increases funding for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant program by $115 million, to $2.25 billion.
  • Maintains all existing Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities and Section 202 Housing for the Elderly.
  • Includes NO terrible fair housing riders, such as those included in the earlier House-passed HUD funding bill.
  • Greatly increases resources to ensure the full renewal of USDA Rural Development rental housing contracts, and to preserve rural rental housing and protect tenants in properties whose owners prepay their mortgages.

See NLIHC’s FY16 Budget Chart: http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/FY16HUD-USDA_Budget-Chart.pdf

TAKE ACTION

Urge your Senators and Representative to pass the FY16 omnibus spending bill without further delay. To contact your legislator, call the Congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351, or click below.

Click Here to Find Your Elected Officials: http://capwiz.com/nlihc/officials/congress/?azip=&submit.x=14&submit.y=8

Please email [email protected] with any feedback you receive from your Senator’s office.