Congress Expected to Pass Final FY23 Spending Bill with Increased Funding for Housing and Homelessness Programs
Congress is working to enact a final fiscal year (FY) 2023 omnibus spending bill that includes significant funding for HUD’s housing and homelessness programs before the current continuing resolution (CR) expires tonight at midnight. The bill, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support by a vote of 68 to 29 on December 22, is currently being considered by the House and is expected to pass before the midnight deadline.
Overall, the final spending bill provides HUD programs with $61.8 billion, or $8.1 billion more than FY22-enacted levels, and includes significant funding for NLIHC’s top priorities. At this amount, the final bill provides approximately $754 million more than the amount proposed in the Senate draft, but nearly $1 billion less than the amount provided in the House proposal. For more details on the FY23 spending bill, see NLIHC’s full analysis and our updated budget chart.
The increase in funding is thanks to the hard work of advocates across the nation and champions in Congress, including Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and Representatives David Price (D-NC) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittees.
The Continuing Need for Resources
While the final FY23 spending bill provides meaningful increases for vital HUD and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, far more resources are needed to address the nation’s growing affordable housing and homelessness crises. The bill does not include, for example, the House’s proposed expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to an additional 140,000 households. Without this expansion, Congress missed a critical opportunity to help more households struggling to make ends meet in the wake of rising rents, increased evictions, and more homelessness.
We want to thank all our members, partners, allies, and congressional champions for their hard work securing and pursing meaningful housing investments and transformative policies. We look forward to continuing the pursuit of housing justice alongside you all in the coming year.
Thank you for your advocacy!