The House Appropriations Committee unveiled an omnibus appropriations package that will provide funding for most of the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The legislation provides funding for 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills, including funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Notably, a number of key housing programs, including HOME, would receive funding cuts.
“The good news is that finalizing fiscal year 2015 funding levels will bring certainty to housing assistance providers across the country,” said Sheila Crowley, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “The bad news is that the funding levels for HUD programs do not provide the resources needed to even maintain the current level of service, let alone make progress on meeting the nation’s affordable housing needs.”
The House is expected to vote on the legislation this week.
The plan includes a total of $35.6 billion for HUD program, an increase of $2.8 billion above the fiscal 2014 enacted level. However, when accounting for a decrease in offsets related to Federal Housing Administration collections, the HUD portion of the bill is actually $90 million below last year, according to a House Appropriations Committee summary.
The omnibus bill provides:
- $3 billion for the Community Development Block program, $30 million below the fiscal 2014 enacted level;
- $900 million for the HOME program, $100 million less than in fiscal 2014;
- $17.49 billion for the renewal of Sec. 8 vouchers, about $120 million more than in fiscal 2014, but $207 million less than the House bill and $233 million less than the Senate bill;
- $9.52 billion is provided for project-based Sec. 8 renewals; and
- $75 million for HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, which is the same as the 2014 enacted level.
The bill also lifts the cap on the Rental Assistance Demonstration program from 60,000 units to 185,000 through 2018.
