Committees in the House and Senate recently approved FY-2012 funding bills that would make deep cuts in the budget for HUD programs. And while both houses have expressed a firm commitment to preserving federal rental assistance for the low-income families, neither funding bill achieves this goal, according to a new report released by the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities (CBPP). In particular:
- Both bills fail to provide funding to renew Housing Choice Vouchers, now used by 25,000 to 40,000 low-income families.
- Both bills deeply underfund public housing.
The report points out that both bills make much deeper cuts in the HUD budget than the overall 5 percent reductions in funding mandated for discretionary programs (the House bill proposes a 7% reduction, whereas the Senate bill offers a 10% cut). The report urges that, at a minimum, the low-income housing programs that HUD administers should not be cut disproportionately relative to other discretionary programs.
To read the full report, click here.
