Republicans Float Proposal to Cut Federal Housing Programs

Republicans propose cuts to HUD and housing programs
House Republicans proposed a resolution to cut federal housing programs, including HUD funding, despite rising homelessness, which advocates warn could exacerbate the affordable housing crisis.

Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced a resolution to cut several federal housing programs at a time when homelessness is rising across the country.

The resolution seeks to reduce funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has been a target of Republican lawmakers since the 1980s. Overall, HUD’s funding would be cut by about 3%, or roughly $2.3 billion compared to fiscal year 2024. This includes steep cuts to existing public housing programs and eviction defense resources created by the Biden-Harris administration.

The plan also includes cuts to rental assistance, homeless services, and eviction protections. Some examples include:

  • Reducing Tenant-Based Rental Assistance by $115 million below last year’s levels.
  • Decreasing public housing assistance funds by roughly $318 million
  • Eliminating HUD’s eviction protection grant program, and
  • $1 million cut from HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

The 210-page document was introduced to the House Committee on Appropriations on June 24.

Advocates like the National Low Income Housing Coalition warned that the appropriations bill, if passed, could make it more difficult to help households struggling to afford rent.

“This proposal largely fails to provide resources at the scale needed to end the nation’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis and would cut key investments used by communities to address pressing housing needs,” NLIHC warned in its analysis of the proposal.

Federal housing programs often come under fire during budget season. However, the recent battles show that many lawmakers are willing to scrap programs that help needy families as long as the fight advances their political aims.

In early 2023, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy showed he was willing to use housing subsidies as a bargaining chip to maintain control of the Republican caucus. McCarthy supported a hard-right policy to cut housing spending by 33% to pass legislation to fund the government, The Washington Post reported.

In April 2023, the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that the bill McCarthy supported would have cut roughly $3.6 trillion from social services over a decade.

Despite the battles, the Biden-Harris administration has largely continued to line up funding for HUD initiatives ranging from eviction protections to fair housing discrimination enforcement. Recently, the administration announced that $5.5 billion would be made available through HUD to increase the supply of affordable housing, including $30 million for transitional housing.

States Invest in Housing

Local politicians in states like Georgia and New York are also investing in affordable housing programs that federal lawmakers are fighting over. New York Mayor Eric Adams recently passed a budget that includes a record-high $2 billion for public housing programs. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens included $17 million in his city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which has more than doubled in size over the last two years.

Human Rights Watch found that declining investments in public housing cause living conditions in these buildings to deteriorate and make it more difficult for building owners to maintain their day-to-day operations. The group estimated in a 2022 study that about 10,000 public housing units are lost every year to deterioration.

“Public housing plays a crucial role in fulfilling the human right to housing, as it can provide dignified homes to all, regardless of income,” said Jackson Gandour, an economic justice fellow with HRW. “By restoring adequate funding, the US can uphold its international obligations and take an important step toward addressing the country’s housing crisis.”

How You Can Help

In the face of a rising tide of anti-homeless legislation, we are engaged in a critical battle against misinformation and the criminalization of homelessness.

Across the nation, anti-homeless laws are advancing through legislative committees, propelled by secret votes, corporate funding, out-of-state lobbyists, and conservative think tanks like the Cicero Institute.

The pandemic proved that we need to rethink housing in the United States. It also showed that many programs designed to address homelessness are rooted in law enforcement rather than social services.

At this pivotal moment, we must make the truth louder than ever. Tell your representatives you support revamping how your city addresses homelessness. Handcuffs do not get anyone closer to stable housing. Instead, we must focus on compassionate solutions, the first step to ending homelessness.


Robert Davis

Robert Davis

Robert is a freelance journalist based in Colorado who covers housing, police, and local government.

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