House Committee Advances Housing Spending Bill

The House Appropriations Committee recently advanced a $137.1 billion spending bill covering transportation and housing, about $6 billion above current levels and $17.3 billion more than President Trump’s request. The measure was approved in a 29-21 vote, divided mostly along party lines. The Trump administration had requested an $11 billion reduction in spending.

The HUD spending bill provides a total of $50.1 billion for HUD—$5.9 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $13.4 billion above the President’s budget request. Of the $50.1 billion, the bill includes:

• $32.7 billion for the Office of Public and Indian Housing, $1.7 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $6.9 billion above the President’s budget request ($23.8 billion for Tenant-based Rental Assistance; $2.9 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund; $4.8 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund);
• $8.6 billion for the Office of Community Planning and Development, $917 million above the 2019 enacted level and $5.7 billion above the President’s budget request; and
• $13.7 billion for the Office of Housing, $1.1 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $846 million above the President’s budget request ($12.6 billion for Project-Based Rental Assistance, $803 million for Housing for the Elderly, $259 million for Housing for Persons with Disabilities, $60 million for Housing Counseling).

The bill also includes policy provisions such as preventing the administration’s public housing rule change on undocumented immigrants in affordable housing, which would threaten the housing tenure of 55,000 children who are citizens or legal residents and requiring all HUD grantees to develop a resiliency plan as part of the consolidated planning process.

Republicans oppose the legislation largely on account of the overall dollar amount. They argued that appropriations bills should not move forward until the House, Senate, and White House agree on a deal to raise statutory spending limits.