House Appropriations Committee Holds Markup and Party-Line Vote to Advance FY27 HUD Spending Bill
Jun 08, 2026
By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy
The House Appropriations Committee held a markup on June 3 of the House fiscal year (FY) 2027 spending bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) programs. Overall, the bill would fund HUD at $71.38 billion, a $5.94 billion, or over 8%, cut from the $77.3 billion provided for HUD programs in FY26. For details, see NLIHC’s full analysis and our updated budget chart. The Committee voted along party lines, 34-27, to advance the bill for consideration in the full House.
A markup is a regular part of the legislative process, giving committee members the opportunity to debate and amend a drafted bill, and vote on whether to move the bill on for a floor vote in the full House or Senate. The House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee, which has primary jurisdiction over HUD appropriations, held their markup of the bill on May 21 (see Memo, 5/26).
Several committee democrats spoke against the FY27 THUD spending bill, including Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and THUD Subcommittee Ranking Member James Clyburn (D-SC).
“The bill walks away form longstanding civil rights laws that protect housing choice for most Americans,” said Ranking Member Clyburn, referencing the bill’s over 43% cut to fair housing funding, including a 64% cut to the Fair Housing Initiatives Program. “People with disabilities, who account for 55% of [housing discrimination] claims, will bear the brunt of these decisions.”
“This bill proposes to slash critical assistance that helps families keep a roof over their heads,” said Ranking Member DeLauro. “By slashing funding for public housing by $1.3 billion, this bill will cause cuts to rent and utility payments to some 2,700 housing agencies from across the country. It will put hundreds of thousands of low-income households at risk of eviction.”
“This bill cuts funding to help people that are homeless get the support they need to get back on their feet,” she continued. “It slashes Homeless Assistance Grant funding by $256 million…that is a one-two punch in funding cuts: first, it cuts affordable housing programs, pushing more people out of their homes and onto the streets, then it scales back assistance for the people who are without homes.”
Proposed Amendments to THUD Bill
Committee members passed several amendments to the bill during the markup:
Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) proposed an amendment directing HUD “to continue serving mixed-status households that are eligible for assistance under section 214, unless otherwise changed by law,” which would bar HUD from implementing the proposed changes in its notice of proposed rulemaking, “Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status.”
The Amendment notes that “under current law, housing assistance provided to mixed-status families consisting of both eligible and ineligible individuals is prorated to reflect the number of eligible household members. Congress established this framework to balance program integrity with the goal of preserving family unity and avoiding the separation of households. The Committee notes that HUD's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, "Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status" (FR-6524), would depart from the longstanding interpretation and implementation of section 214 by effectively preventing mixed status families from continuing to reside together in assisted housing. The Committee believes such an approach is contrary to the intent of Congress and could result in the displacement of otherwise eligible residents, including U.S. citizens and individuals with eligible immigration status.” This amendment passed by voice vote.
- THUD Subcommittee Chair Steve Womack (R-AR) proposed an amendment directing the HUD Secretary to conduct a feasibility study on allowing renewal funds for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to cover security deposits for participating families. This amendment passed by voice vote.
Chair Womack also proposed an amendment that “directs HUD to make eligible for reimbursement a comprehensive range of homeownership and rental housing counseling services…which must include individual pre-purchase and post-purchase counseling for homebuyers and homeowners regardless of whether the mortgage loan or prospective mortgage loan is made, insured or guaranteed, or held by HUD or any other federal agency, and regardless of whether the household receives or has applied for HUD assistance.” This amendment passed by voice vote.
The Chairman also proposed an amendment that would ban funds from being provided to “a local jurisdiction that refuses to comply with a request from the Department of Homeland Security to provide advance notice of the scheduled release date and time” for immigrants without legal documentation being held in local custody. This amendment passed by a voice vote.
Additional proposed amendments were not adopted, including a proposal from Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) that would have banned funds from being used to implement HUD’s proposed rule imposing work requirements and time limits on assisted households. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) proposed an amendment that would increase funding for the PRO Housing program to $100,000,000, and Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) proposed an amendment that would have provided $9.9 billion in funding for long-term disaster recovery efforts.
Watch the House Appropriations Committee markup here.
Review proposed amendments here.
Read the Committee markup of the House FY27 THUD spending bill here.
Tell Congress to Expand – Not Cut – Federal Investments in Affordable Housing and Homelessness Assistance Programs!
Annual funding increases are vital to ensuring HUD rental and homelessness assistance programs continue serving the millions of families, people with disabilities, veterans, older adults, low-wage workers, and others who rely on HUD programs to help keep a roof over their heads. Because the cost of rent increases every year, programs must receive increased funding every year to maintain assistance for current households; even flat funding acts as a cut, reducing the number of people served. At current funding levels, only one in four households who qualify for any form of rental assistance receives it, leaving the majority of otherwise qualified households to struggle to afford the cost of housing.
At a time when a record number of renters are housing cost burdened and families around the country are struggling to afford necessities like housing, food, and medical care, Congress should be working to expand—not cut—funding for programs that help people make ends meet.
Advocates can use NLIHC’s toolkits and resources to take action on the FY27 spending bill, and urge federal lawmakers to increase investments in HUD programs, including NLIHC’s top priorities:
- Full funding to renew all existing Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) 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 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 increasing 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 of 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.