Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations, sent letters to several federal agencies on January 19 requesting information about the impacts of budget cuts on crucial federal programs, including affordable housing and homelessness services programs managed by HUD and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The requests come in the wake of reports suggesting that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has committed to slashing federal spending by capping fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations at FY2022 levels. Speaker McCarthy and many of his Republican colleagues in the House have vowed that the roughly $130 billion in anticipated cuts will focus entirely on non-defense spending.
“A preliminary examination of this blueprint suggests this proposed policy would harm communities across the country and our national security interests around the world,” said Ranking Member DeLauro in her letter to HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “Given these potential outcomes, the American people and Members of Congress deserve to know the real impact this policy would have on the economy, their neighborhoods, and other essential government functions that keep people healthy and safe.”
To maintain even the same level of support for people receiving housing assistance, it is necessary to increase funding for affordable housing programs from one year to the next, given the impacts of inflation. Advocates and affordable housing champions in Congress worked to secure a $8.1 billion increase to HUD’s budget in FY2023, including enough funding to renew all existing housing voucher contracts and to expand the program to an additional 12,000 households with the lowest incomes. These resources provide a vital safety net to individuals and families with low incomes, helping ensure they have an affordable place to call home and that they need not choose between putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads.
Read Ranking Member DeLauro’s letter to Secretary Fudge at: https://bit.ly/3XywZN8
Learn more about the harmful impacts of inconsistent funding on affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs at: https://bit.ly/3XCdkf8