On July 29, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4502, a seven-bill FY22 spending minibus that included the chamber’s funding levels for HUD, USDA and the Treasury Department. Overall, the legislation contains strong funding levels for affordable housing and community development programs. Some highlights include:
- $1.85 billion for HOME, $500 million (or 37%) above FY21 enacted levels
- $3.7 billion for CDBG, $225 million (6%) above FY21 enacted levels
- $45 million for Section 4, $4 million (10 %) above FY21 enacted levels
- $29.2 billion for Tenant Based Rental Assistance, $3.4 billion (13%) above FY21 enacted levels
- $14 billion for Project Based Rental Assistance, $535 million (3.9%) above FY21 enacted levels
- $45 million for USDA Section 542 Rural Housing Vouchers, $5 million (or 13%) above FY21 enacted levels
- $330 million for the CDFI Fund, $60 million (or 22 %) above FY21 enacted levels
- $40 million for Section 515, level-funded for FY21 levels
If passed, the legislation would provide a critical expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program, increasing access to the program for an additional 125,000 households. It would also provide $205 million towards improving energy and water efficiency in public housing, as well as $400 million for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.
While the White House has already released its budget request, the Senate has yet to release FY22 appropriations legislation. Enterprise encourages Congress to enact legislation that provides strong funding for affordable housing and community development programs before the end of this fiscal year on September 30, 2021.
To learn more, see the full THUD, USDA, and FSGG bill text. Stay up to date on the FY22 appropriations process by signing up for our Today in Housing and Capitol Express newsletters.
This blog was authored by Finn Dobkin, Appropriations Policy Intern.