Budget and Appropriations

Sequestration Could Deny Rental Assistance To 140,000 Low-Income Families

The budget cuts known as “sequestration,” initiated on March 1, will likely force state and local housing agencies to cut the number of low-income families using Housing Choice Vouchers to afford housing by roughly 140,000 by early 2014. This represents a sharp break from Congress’ bipartisan commitment — which it has met for most of the voucher program’s nearly 40-year history — to renew assistance for at least the same number of families from year to year. Thousands of other low-income families using vouchers could face sharp rent increases because of sequestration. Read more

Senate Funding Bill Improves on President's Budget Request for Rental Assistance
Senate Rejects Harmful Minimum Rent Proposal

The Senate Committee on Appropriations approved funding legislation for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that improves upon President Obama's budget request for fiscal year 2013 in several ways.

The bill adopts a number of important policy changes that will reduce rental assistance program costs without harming vulnerable low-income families. Moreover, it makes these improvements while largely meeting the President's request in other areas of the HUD budget.

The Senate bill falls short, however, in meeting other important goals.