The House has begun consideration of a five-bill spending package (“minibus”) for fiscal year (FY) 2020 that includes funding for affordable housing and community development programs at HUD and USDA, as well as several key amendments. Members began voting on amendments on June 19; votes continue this week. The package also includes spending bills for Commerce, Justice, and Science; Interior; and Military Construction and Veteran Affairs.
NLIHC is monitoring the bill’s progress and urges advocates to contact their representatives and tell them to support:
- Any amendment to increase investments in affordable housing for low-income households;
- Any amendment to maintain language in the spending bill that prevents HUD from moving forward with its cruel proposal to force mixed-status immigrant families to separate or face eviction and possible homelessness;
- Any amendment to maintain language in the spending bill that prevents HUD from eliminating protections for transgender people experiencing homelessness and seeking shelter;
- An amendment offered by Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to provide $2 million for the HUD Office of Inspector General to investigate the department’s delay in releasing Community Development Block Gra;nt–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds for mitigation purposes following the 2017 disasters.
Advocates should ask their members of Congress to oppose:
- Any amendment to reduce funding for HUD programs;
- Amendments allowing HUD’s proposal to force mixed-status immigrant families to separate or face eviction to move forward, including:
- An amendment offered by Representatives Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Kevin Hern (R-OK);
- An amendment offered by Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI; and
- An amendment offered by Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA).
- Amendments allowing HUD to weaken the Equal Access rule and allow federally funded shelter providers to discriminate against LGBTQ people experiencing homelessness and seeking emergency shelter, including:
- Two amendments offered by Representatives Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Tim Meadows (R-NC), Brian Babin (R-TX), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and William Timmons (R-SC);
- An amendment offered by Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ); and
- An amendment offered by Steve King (R-IA).
Contact your representative’s offices by calling the congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. NLIHC will continue tracking amendments and send updates about other potentially harmful proposals.
Read NLIHC’s analysis of the THUD and Agriculture bills at: https://bit.ly/2HwEvnC
Review NLIHC’s budget chart at: https://bit.ly/2rl7MZC