House Speaker Johnson and White House Pressure House Republicans for Deep Spending Cuts to Domestic Programs in FY26 – Take Action!

With the introduction of President Donald Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations request, members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are working to reach topline spending agreements for each of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal programs and services, including the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill that funds vital housing, homelessness, and community development programs run by HUD.  

Now is the time to contact your members of Congress and urge them to expand – not cut – key affordable housing and homelessness resources.

Take Action Now!

Background

While the specifics of these bills are still being drafted, House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) has stated his committee will draft their FY26 spending bills close to the president’s budget request, which proposes a historic 44% cut to HUD programs. Proposed cuts include a 43% cut to the rental assistance programs millions of people rely on to remain stably housed. The House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee is expected to release the text of their THUD bill in early July and has scheduled a review of the bill—known as a “markup”—on July 14, with a full Committee markup scheduled for July 17. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) are reportedly still discussing topline spending agreements and a schedule for markups.   

Congress has until October 1, the beginning of the federal fiscal year, to draft, negotiate, and pass final FY26 spending bills. While Republicans control both the House and the Senate, any spending bill needs at least 60 votes to pass the Senate. Final appropriations bills will need bipartisan support to be enacted. 

See NLIHC's Updated Budget Chart See NLIHC's Full Detailed Analysis

Take Action

Use NLIHC’s advocacy toolkit and resources to take action on FY26 funding, including by: 

• Using NLIHC’s new advocacy toolkit, “Opposing Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing,” to call on Congress to protect and expand affordable housing and homelessness resources. The toolkit includes talking points, advocacy materials, engagement ideas, and more resources for advocates to weigh-in with their members of Congress on the importance of these vital resources!
• 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 contact your member offices.
• Sharing stories of those directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Storytelling adds meaningful context to your message and can help lawmakers see how their policy decisions impact real people. Learn about how to tell compelling stories with this resource. 

National, state, local, Tribal, and territorial organizations can also join over 2,600 organizations on CHCDF’s national letter urging Congress to provide the highest possible funding for affordable housing, homelessness assistance, and community development resources in FY26. 

Take Action Today! Become a Member of NLIHC