HUD Budget Cuts

According to leaked, preliminary fiscal year 2018 budget documents, the Trump administration has considered more than $6 billion in cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Under the preliminary plan, compared to previous funding:

  • About $1.3 billion would be cut from the public housing capital fund
  • $600 million would be cut from the public housing operating fund
  • Direct rental assistance payments — including Section 8 Housing and housing vouchers for homeless veterans — would be cut by at least $300 million
  • Housing for the elderly — known as the Section 202 program — would be cut by $42 million
  • The HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which provides block grants for local communities to build affordable housing, would be cut entirely
  • Section 811 housing for people with disabilities would be cut by $29 million
  • Money available for Native American housing block grants would be cut by $150 million
  • Choice Neighborhoods, a program that invests in redeveloping low-income communities, would be cut entirely
  • The Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), which has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress and which received $3 billion this fiscal year, would be cut entirely

The reaction to these cuts has been swift, and RISE Stronger stands with Senate Democrats on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, the Center for American Progress the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the National Urban League, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and National Association of Counties (see joint statement under "What You Can Do") against these skewed budget priorities.

During a time when only one in four eligible low-income families receives housing assistance, we should focus on increasing support for affordable housing, not cutting it. Today, one in four renters in America is spending more than half of their income on rent, and homelessness rates are rising in many communities across the country as growing numbers of people are unable to afford a place to call home. These cuts are cruel.

Ben Carson on Watch

The disturbingly disproportionate HUD budget cuts reflect the misdirection of Secretary Ben Carson, who testified to his understanding of the real impacts that substandard housing has on the health and opportunities of children and their families. We call on Secretary Carson to live up to his promise. While, we've seen a slate of ill-informed messaging from our new SOHUD…

"I began to realize that poverty was really more of a choice than anything else and that I could change that." (Link)

"Having me as a federal bureaucrat would be like a fish out of water, quite frankly." (Link)

On the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule: "Fair housing advocates saw this as a victory, but as with other mandated social-engineering schemes, the sort of unintended consequences Justice Samuel Alito alluded to in his dissent lurk in the shadows." (Link)

… the most important Carson quote to remember, is his promise to the U.S. Senate to protect vulnerable families. According to a transcript from his Senate confirmation hearing, Carson committed to maintaining the efficacy of these programs: "I think the rental assistance program is essential. And what I have said, if you've been reading my writings, is that when it comes to entitlement programs, it is cruel and unusual punishment to withdraw those programs before you provide an alternative route." Will Carson break his promise?

Public Advocates in collaboration with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and PolicyLink recently launched the CarsonWatch to stop the Trump Administration and members of Congress from rolling back protections for fair housing, rental assistance, and housing security for millions of Americans. We are watching and will stand firm in our resolve to mobilize grassroots efforts to protect the integrity of HUD. According to its own website, the mission of HUD is "to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all." HUD is designed to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination, and transform the way HUD does business. We intend to ensure the Trump-era HUD and Carson keep their promises.

Infrastructure Bill Update

President Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure package is slowly beginning to take shape as we reach the end of the first 100-days, the time frame he proposed to deliver an infrastructure proposal to Congress. Last Wednesday, New York City-based real estate developers Richard LeFrak and Steven Roth, the controversial heads of Trump's "Council of Buildings and Engineers," met with the President, Cabinet officials, and private sector leaders to discuss infrastructure funding strategies. On the same day as this White House meeting, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD)** held a panel to discuss possible funding schemes for the President's $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

The White House said more details on the President's infrastructure plan will become available with the President's fiscal year 2018 budget.

What You Can Do

  • Read the National Resources Defense Council's Urban Solutions blogpost outlining guiding principles of a 21st century infrastructure bill that prioritizes America, not just Wall Street.
  • Read the joint statement from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and National Association of Counties on the proposed elimination of CDBG.
  • Read the Infrastructure Report Card from the the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Questions to Ask Your Member of Congress

  • Are you in favor of the Trump Administration's proposed $6 billion cut to the HUD budget?
  • How will a proposed infrastructure bill prioritize performance-based infrastructure and projects that deliver economic, social and environmental benefits—such as jobs, improved mobility and climate resiliency?
  • Will the stream of federal dollars for an infrastructure plan go directly to communities rather than solely to states?
  • Do you support the need for water systems to rely more on distributed green infrastructure, water efficiency, and water reuse to complement our existing investments in gray infrastructure systems?

- Infrastructure & Urban Policy Working Group, RISE Stronger

Have comments or something to add? Contact the RISE Infrastructure & Urban Policy Working Group at [email protected]