Last week the House passed H.R. 7617, which provides fiscal year (FY) 2021 funding for six appropriations subcommittees: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor-HHS-Education and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.
The House bill is expected to provide adequate appropriations to renew existing Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance, and provides increases for most programs, including the Community Development Block Grants, HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Section 202 and Section 811, which would also receive additional funding through emergency infrastructure investments. The bill also contains two amendments that would block the Trump Administration’s recent regulatory action on the Disparate Impact Rule and the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH).
The House previously passed FY 2021 appropriations for four other subcommittees, leaving just two – homeland security and legislative branch – unfinished. The House adjourned for August recess last week, with the caveat that they will return to consider Coronavirus aid legislation.
Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee still hasn’t released or marked up its bills. FY 2020 funding expires on September 30, 2020; the House has 14 scheduled working days between now and then, while the Senate has 15. As the deadline approaches, a continuing resolution – which would temporarily fund the government at FY 2020 levels – becomes increasingly likely. And with the presidential contest coming up shortly, Congress isn’t expected to finalize fiscal 2021 bills until after Election Day.
