On July 11, 2017, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies marked up the T-HUD Appropriations Bill. The subcommittee voted to advance the bill to the full Appropriations Committee without amendments. The bill funds HUD at $38.3 billion, a 1.3% decrease from the $38.8 billion appropriated in FY 2017 but a significant increase from President Trump’s requested $31.2 billion for the Department.
While the numbers may be significantly higher than those proposed by the White House, advocates argue it is not nearly enough. A recent analysis by the National Low Income Housing Coalition suggests that the proposed $20.487 billion for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and the $11.082 billion for Project-Based Rental Assistance will be insufficient to renew all existing contracts. Following the markup, Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), indicated to Congressional Quarterly that funding for some programs would have to be “revisited”.
The bill has a long journey before (if ever) becoming law. The full House Appropriations Committee will have a mark-up of its own, which has been scheduled for Monday, July 17 before the bill travels to the floor for a vote. The Senate has not begun its similar process. Congress’ eyes are currently set on issues like tax and healthcare reform and with an August recess, time is quickly slipping away from legislators’ ability to pass their 12 appropriations bills under regular order. A short-term CR implementing last year’s funding is always a possibility this September.
| HUD / RD PROGRAMS | ENACTED FUNDING FY 2017 (in Millions)> | FY-18 White House Request (in Millions) | FY-18 House Sub-Committee Markup [7/12/17] (in Millions) | Difference Between FY-18 House Sub-Committee Mark and FY-17 Enacted (in Millions) | Difference Between FY-18 House Sub-Committee Mark and FY-18 White House Request (in Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project-Based Rental Assistance | $10,816.00 | $10,351.00 | $11,082.00 | $266.00 | $731.00 |
| Tenant-Based Rental Assistance | $20,292.00 | $19,318.00 | $20,487.00 | $195.00 | $1,169.00 |
| Public Housing Capital Fund | $1,941.50 | $628.00 | $1,850.00 | $(91.50) | $1,222.00 |
| Homeless Assistance Grants | $2,383.00 | $2,250.00 | $2,383.00 | $- | $133.00 |
| Choice Neighborhoods Initiative | $138.00 | $- | $20.00 | $(118.00) | $20.00 |
| Housing for the Elderly Program | $502.40 | $510.00 | $573.00 | $70.60 | $63.00 |
| HOME Investment Partnerships | $950.00 | $- | $850.00 | $(100.00) | $850.00 |
| Community Development Block Grants | $3,060.00 | $- | $2,960.00 | $(100.00) | $2,960.00 |
| Public Housing Operating Fund | $4,400.00 | $3,900.00 | $4,400.00 | $- | $500.00 |
| Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program | $146.20 | $121.00 | $147.00 | $0.80 | $26.00 |
| Section 515 Rental Housing | $35.00 | $- | $28.00 | $(7.00) | $28.00 |
| Section 521 Rental Assistance | $1,405.00 | $1,345.00 | $1,345.00 | $(60.00) | $- |
| RD Multifamily Preservation & Revitalization | $41.00 | $20.00 | $35.00 | $(6.00) | $15.00 |
