The Senate may vote as soon as today on amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 spending bill. We need your help to defeat harmful amendments that would undermine our nation’s efforts to provide housing opportunities fairly to those in need and to support amendments to expand and preserve critical resources.
Please contact your senators TODAY and urge them to OPPOSE:
- Senate Amendment 3520 – Introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), this amendment would bar HUD from implementing or enforcing its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (“AFFH”) rule. The AFFH rule simply clarifies existing fair housing obligations and allows states and local governments to more fairly and effectively invest federal funds in their communities. It does not impose any new obligations on states.
- Senate Amendment 3431 – This amendment by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) would direct HUD to develop a plan to eliminate “fragmented, duplicative, or overlapping” housing assistance programs. This amendment could endanger critical resources for affordable housing.
Please contact your senators TODAY and urge them to SUPPORT:
- Senate Amendment 3545 offered by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to make the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) available to survivors of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. DHAP provides low income survivors with the longer-term housing assistance they need to get back on their feet. FEMA has refused to activate this important program, despite requests by the governor of Puerto Rico, dozens of members of Congress, survivors, and housing and homelessness advocates. As a result, thousands of families have had no choice but to double or triple up with other families, return to uninhabitable homes, sleep in their cars, or pay more than half of their incomes on rent, putting them at increased risk of evictions and, in worst cases, homelessness.
- An amendment introduced by Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) to direct USDA to report to Congress on the agency’s strategy – and the tools and resources needed – to preserve affordable rental homes in rural America.
TAKE ACTION
Please contact your senators today and urge them to OPPOSE the Lee and Enzi amendments (SA 3520 and SA 3431) and to SUPPORT the Nelson and Smith amendments.