President Trump is expected to release his budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2021 on February 10. The president’s previous budget requests have proposed extreme cuts and the elimination of affordable housing programs, as well as rent increases and work requirements on low-income families. Thanks to the efforts of advocates and congressional champions, Congress has rejected the Trump administration’s proposals each of the past three years. NLIHC and other national leaders in housing, homelessness, community development, and transportation are circulating a sign-on letter urging Congress to again reject steep cuts and ensure transportation and housing programs receive the highest amount of funding possible for FY 21.
While the two-year bipartisan budget agreement signed last summer (see Memo 7/29/19) provided some relief from the low spending caps on defense and domestic programs, Congress will only have about $5 billion more in FY21 than this year for non-defense programs, including affordable housing and community development programs. In order to cover rising costs, HUD’s budget will need a significant increase over FY20 levels just to maintain assistance to the current number of households.
Last year, more than 3,500 national, state, and local housing and community development, faith-based, disability, and civil rights organizations, as well as officials in municipal, tribal, and state governments, joined NLIHC in sending a letter to Congress expressing their support for these programs.
Let’s do it again! Sign the letter urging Congress to ensure transportation and housing programs receive the highest amount of funding possible for FY21. Because the FY21 letter is substantially similar to the previous letter, organizations who would like to opt-out of the letter should email [email protected].
Organizations that would like to join the letter for FY21 can read and sign it at: https://sforce.co/2UaH1X4
The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) is hosting a webinar on February 18, 3:30 - 4:30pm ET to discuss President Trump's budget and the funding outlook for affordable housing and community development programs in FY 2021. Please register for this webinar at: https://tinyurl.com/vjho9qg
Please share this letter and urge organizations in your network to sign on!