The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations voted on July 17 to approve a draft spending bill that would fund HUD programs for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The bill was approved on a 35-28 partisan vote. The full committee vote followed a July 14 vote in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) to advance the legislation. The House THUD bill proposes to fund HUD at $67.8 billion, a decrease of $939 million from FY25. For details, see NLIHC’s complete analysis and updated budget chart.
While this means lower funding levels for key affordable housing programs than last year, the House’s spending bill largely rejects the severe cuts proposed by President Trump in his FY26 HUD spending request. This progress is a direct result of your advocacy – but the fight isn’t over. The final numbers are still being negotiated, and the Senate THUD Subcommittee will release their own draft bill soon.
Keep the pressure on by contacting your members of Congress and urging them to protect and expand investments in the vital affordable housing and homelessness programs!
Background
Although the House draft bill rejects proposals to redesign rental and homelessness assistance, it would reduce funding for key housing programs and formalize a 26% cut in staff, previously implemented by HUD Secretary Scott Turner. Without adequate funding for federal housing and homelessness programs – and without the staff to administer and oversee these funds – states and communities will face new barriers to accessing the critical federal resources they need to pay the rent, build affordable housing, address homelessness, recover from disasters, revitalize distressed communities, promote homeownership, enforce fair housing laws, and more.
Additionally, the House draft bill includes problematic policy proposals, including one that would provide HUD with broad flexibility to allow public housing authorities (PHAs) to waive or create alternatives to key statutory requirements, which could be used to allow for harmful work requirements and time limits.
While the House Appropriations Committee has approved its FY26 THUD spending bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to announce its schedule for releasing and reviewing its draft bill. Congress has until October 1, the beginning of the federal fiscal year, to draft, negotiate, and pass final FY26 spending bills. Without a final spending agreement, Congress will need to enact a short-term funding patch known as a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain funding for federal programs and avoid a partial federal government shutdown. While Republicans control both the House and the Senate, any spending bill needs at least 60 votes to pass the Senate, so final appropriations bills will need bipartisan support to be enacted.
Ways to Take Action
- Contact members’ offices to tell them about the importance of fully funding affordable housing and homelessness resources that are vital to community development and growth.
- Share stories of those directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Storytelling adds meaningful context to your advocacy and can help lawmakers see how their policy decisions impact real people. Use this resource from the HoUSed campaign to learn about how to tell compelling stories.
- Schedule a site visit with members’ offices during August Recess when members of Congress are back home in their communities. Use this resource from the HoUSed campaign for guidance.
- Join over 2,700 organizations on the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding’s (CHCDF) national letter calling on Congress to support the highest level of funding possible for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources in FY26. This letter is open to national, state, local, Tribal, and territorial organizations; offices of elected officials; and state and local governments.
Key Advocacy Priorities
NLIHC’s advocacy toolkit, Opposing Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing, includes resources that you can use to call on Congress to protect and expand affordable housing and homelessness programs. Some of the key priorities to highlight include:
- Full funding to renew all existing Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) contracts and 60,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs).
- Learn more and access resources with the Reject Housing Cuts and EHV Funding Cliff: Action Toolkit, created in collaboration with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Housing Law Project, and NLIHC.
- Increased funding for public housing operations and public housing capital needs.
- $4.922 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program.
- $20 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program (EPGP).
- At least $1.3 billion for HUD’s Tribal housing programs and $150 million for competitive funds targeted to tribes with the greatest needs.
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.