Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) was forced to pull a vote on a controversial continuing resolution (CR) scheduled for September 11. In explanation of his decision, Speaker Johnson cited insufficient votes to ensure that the measure passed the House. Introduced on September 6, the Speaker’s CR would extend funding for the federal government until March 28, 2025, and would include the “SAVE Act,” which mandates that states adopt restrictive identification requirements for individuals registering to vote.
Congressional Democrats are almost universally opposed to the CR, citing not only the addition of the hotly contested “SAVE Act” but also the duration of the funding extension. CRs hold funding for vital federal programs at the previous fiscal year’s appropriated level; because the costs of housing and homelessness programs rise every year, it is crucial that HUD programs receive increased funding just to maintain the number of people served and services offered. Republicans in the House have also expressed concern over the length of the funding extension. House Committee on Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) is pushing for a CR that lasts until December on the grounds that “I don’t think we should leave the next president, whoever it is, with a funding crisis that they’ve got to deal with when they walk through the door.”
Members of Congress have until September 30 – the end of fiscal year (FY) 2024 – to reach an agreement on and pass a CR and thereby avoid a government shutdown when FY25 begins on October 1.
Take Action!
While Congress is expected to avoid a shutdown, advocates should continue pressuring their members of Congress not only to finalize a CR but to enact a final FY25 spending bill that provides increased funding for HUD’s vital affordable housing and homelessness programs. Long-term CRs and government shutdowns have serious consequences for HUD programs; because the cost of housing and homelessness programs rise every year, it is vital these programs receive increased funding every year just to maintain current levels of assistance.
Advocates can use NLIHC’s resources to take action today and push Congress for increased funding for affordable housing and homelessness in FY25, including for NLIHC’s top priorities:
- Full funding to renew all existing contracts for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and expand assistance to 20,000 more households.
- $6.2 billion for public housing operations and $5.2 billion for public housing capital needs.
- $4.7 billion for HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program.
- $100 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program.
- At least $1.3 billion for Tribal housing programs, plus $150 million for competitive funds targeted to tribes with the greatest needs.
Use NLIHC’s toolkits and resources to take action on FY25 funding, including:
- 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.
- Drawing on our toolkit Oppose Dramatic Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing: This toolkit includes resources, talking points, advocacy ideas, and other helpful information on defending funding for affordable housing and homelessness resources in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal budget. Meet with your members and urge them to provide the most possible funding for these vital programs in any final FY25 budget agreement!
National, state, local, tribal, and territorial organizations can also join over 2,300 organizations on CHCDF’s national letter calling on Congress to support the highest level of funding possible for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources in FY25.