Last week Congress and the President averted another shutdown by passing funding for the remainder of FY 2019, which runs through Sept. 30, 2019. Overall, the bill provides HUD programs with more than $12 billion above the President’s request and provides $1.5 billion in new resources in FY 2019. The budget fully funds renewals for tenant-based rental assistance, project-based rental assistance, Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities and Section 202 Housing for the Elderly. CDBG is level funded from FY 2018 and the HOME program received a slight reduction.
The bill also provides a $5 million increase to the Family Self-Sufficiency program and funds a $25 million mobility housing voucher demonstration for families with young children to help them move to areas of opportunity. The National Low Income Housing Coalition updated its budget chart that compare FY 2018 and FY 2019 funding and all of the various proposals from the President and both chambers of Congress.
With FY 2019 funding complete, Congress and the Administration will now turn their attention to FY 2020 funding. The President is expected to release his budget on March 11. The sequestration spending caps from the Budget Control Act of 2011 will come back into effect for FY 2020, absent congressional action. NH&RA signed this letter led by Nondefense discretionary (NDD) United calling on Congress to raise the caps for FY 2020 and we encourage all our members to consider signing as well.
