House and Senate Appropriators Express Bipartisan Support for HUD Programs During Hearing on Trump Administration’s FY27 Budget Request

By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy  

HUD Secretary Scott Turner appeared before the House and Senate Appropriation Committees last week to respond to lawmakers’ questions on the Trump administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request for HUD programs. The budget proposed significant cuts to HUD, including zeroing out funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership programs, as well as making radical changes to HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grant (HAG) programs that would severely limit how communities can use federal funding to respond to the needs of people experiencing homelessness.  

During the hearings, there was bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the importance of funding HUD programs in FY27, rejecting the egregious cuts and programmatic changes proposed in the White House’s budget request.  

House Appropriations Committee Hearing  

The House hearing took place on May 12. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee Chair Steve Womack (R-AR) opened the hearing with a statement underscoring strong, bipartisan support for some of the programs the Trump administration proposed eliminating in its FY27 budget request, including CDBG and HOME, noting that “[the subcommittee’s markup] may reflect some differences with the budget request.”  

“Our shared goal is to make HUD programs as effective as possible, creating opportunities for citizens to prosper while ensuring a responsible safety net for those who need it,” said the Chairman.  

THUD Subcommittee Ranking Member Jim Clyburn (R-SC) highlighted the request’s proposed cuts to Fair Housing enforcement, and HUD’s attempts to roll back long-standing civil rights laws. He also emphasized the importance of housing for improved educational, health, and financial outcomes for families, and noted that the cuts proposed in the White House’s budget request are “not only unacceptable, but unrealistic given the dire need to lower the cost of living for Americans.”  

“Your budget request also includes so-called reforms that would shift HUD program costs onto low-income residents. This doesn’t help families who are already working multiple jobs to become self-sufficient,” said Ranking Member Clyburn. “Instead, it creates chaos, financial uncertainty, and pushes these families into more severe tradeoffs, a choice of feeding your family, paying for medications, or paying rent.”  

Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) shared his strong support for HUD programs that help address longstanding, urgent affordable housing needs in Tribal communities. A former chairman of the THUD Subcommittee and an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, Chair Cole has been a longtime champion of Tribal housing programs. During his time as subcommittee chairman, he pushed for significant increases to HUD’s Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) and other Tribal housing and community development programs; he warned that the proposed cuts in the FY27 budget would undo the progress made in increasing needed investments in Native communities.   

“It’s important for this committee to remember that the power of the Appropriations Committee is here, and we will make those decisions,” said Chair Cole, referring to the fact that funding decisions lie with the Appropriations Committee and Congress, not the executive branch. “And I can assure you, we’re not going to sustain cuts of that kind of magnitude in these programs.”  

Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sharply criticized the FY27 budget proposal’s changes to HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grant (HAG) program, which would effectively eliminate the Continuum of Care (CoC) program and re-cast HAG as an “expanded Emergency Solutions Grant program,” shifting funding from permanent housing with supportive services to shorter-term, higher-barrier options proven to be less effective. The Ranking Member also pointed out that the White House’s FY27 budget proposal would eliminate many of the programs that help encourage self-sufficiency and financial security, despite the administration’s purported interest in supporting these goals.  

“You proposed eliminating the [Family Self-Sufficiency] program at HUD, and because you want to try to promote self-sufficiency, you’re going to eliminate this program used by public housing agencies and Tribes to incentivize residents to increase their income, build savings, and achieve economic independence. You would eliminate more than 1,600 service coordinator jobs that support over 136,000 families,” said Ranking Member DeLauro.  

Watch the full House Appropriations Committee hearing here, and read Secretary Turner’s opening statement here.  

Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing  

The Senate hearing took place on May 14. Like House Subcommittee Chair Womack, Senate Appropriations THUD Subcommittee Chair Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) emphasized the bipartisan support for programs the administration proposes to cut, including HOME and CDBG.  

She also emphasized the importance of the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) and Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) programs.  

“I am disappointed to once again see [the Office of Management and Budget] propose eliminating these important programs,” said the chairwoman, also noting that the “underfunding of existing rental assistance programs” in the budget request must also be addressed.  

“It should be noted that the majority of households that benefit from these programs are seniors, the disabled, and single-parent households,” she added.  

Senate THUD Subcommittee Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) discussed the affordable housing crisis and its impact on workers, seniors, and families, and stated the proposed FY27 budget “only makes the problem worse. It would result in fewer affordable housing units across the country for hundreds of thousands of families. The budget eliminates key programs that our states, local governments, nonprofits, and faith-based not-for-profits rely on each day to house, feed, and protect our most vulnerable neighbors.”  

“Instead of meeting this crisis with the seriousness and work that is needed, this administration has instead chosen cuts and chaos,” the Ranking Member continued. “Whether it’s through intentional administrative dysfunction, or dismantling core programs for the most vulnerable people, the ripple effects of that chaos alone are hurting our ability to do the one thing we all agree on: building more housing.”  

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) questioned Secretary Turner on the impact of HUD’s implementation of the “Build America, Buy America Act” (BABA), which requires federally funded infrastructure projects (including many housing projects) to use construction materials and products produced in the United States. She also asked the HUD Secretary for his support for “important, common-sense improvements” to help older adults make necessary home modifications that allow them to age in place, like adding ramps, shower bars, and other accessibility features.  

“We want to make sure at HUD we are providing as much flexibility as we can to make sure our seniors are taken care of,” replied Secretary Turner.  

Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) underscored the central impact economic factors have on homelessness, contradicting the HUD Secretary’s repeated and unfounded claim that mental illness and substance use are the key underlying causes of homelessness.  

“All of the data, all of the research shows that economic factors are driving homelessness. It’s not because of Housing First; if every American is feeling the strain on housing, it’s really hard to believe that those with the least don’t struggle the most, which is what’s happening,” said the Vice Chair. “And Housing First isn’t housing only; there’s case management, substance use, mental health, and employment services. That’s all a part of the Housing First model, too.”  

“I think it’s important that we don’t demonize the people who are struggling in this country for a very real reason,” she added.  

Watch the full Senate Appropriations Committee hearing here, and read Secretary Turner’s opening statement here.    

House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee Markup Delayed to June 4  

With Secretary Turner’s committee hearings complete, the House and Senate THUD Appropriations Subcommittees will move on to drafting their FY27 spending bills for HUD programs. The House THUD Subcommittee was scheduled to review its FY27 spending bill—a process known as “markup”—this week, but the markup has been delayed to June 4. The Senate is expected to hold markups on all 12 of its FY27 spending bills in June and July, before Congress breaks for a month-long recess in August.  

Take Action: Tell Congress to Provide the Highest Possible Funding for Affordable Housing and Homelessness Programs in FY27!  

NLIHC is calling on Congress to provide the highest possible funding for HUD’s affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs, including for NLIHC’s top priorities: 

• Full funding to renew all existing Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) contracts, including ensuring continued assistance for Emergency Housing Voucher holders.  
• At least $5.1 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants program to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness.  
• Increased funding for public housing operations and capital needs to help maintain and efficiently operate public housing.  
• Increased investments in programs that support the construction and preservation of deeply affordable, accessible housing, including full funding for all Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA) and PRA Contract renewals, at least $424 million for new Section 811 PRA contracts, and full funding to renew all existing contracts under the Section 202 Housing for the Elderly Program.  
• At least $15 million for HUD’s Eviction Prevention Grant Program (EPGP) to provide communities with grants to establish right to counsel and other programs that help people avoid eviction and remain housed.  
• At least maintained funding of $1.1 billion for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program and increased funding to $150 million for the IHBG-Competitive program.  
• Establishing guardrails to ensure the administration releases appropriated funding to communities, and does not withhold, redirect, or otherwise rescind congressionally approved funding.  

Advocates can take action today by:  

• Emailing or calling members’ offices to tell them about the importance of affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources to you, your family, your community, or your work. You can use NLIHC’s Take Action page to look up your member offices or call/send an email directly!     
• Sharing stories from those directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Storytelling adds emotional weight to your message and can help lawmakers see how their policy decisions impact actual people. Learn about how to tell compelling stories with this resource.      

• Organizations can also join CHCDF’s sign-on letter calling for the highest possible funding for HUD and USDA affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs in any final FY27 spending bills. Read the letter and sign your organization on here.  

Visit NLIHC’s Advocacy Hub for more information and resources that can help you take action and help protect the affordable housing programs people rely on.