President Trump Proposed Budget Includes Deep Cuts to HUD

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Bobbie Guidry

The initial budget request released by President Donald Trump this week includes deep cuts to affordable housing programs. The budget proposal cuts funding to the U.S. Housing & Urban Development Department by 18 percent, which would: 

• Underfund Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contract and Project-Based Rental Assistance contract renewals;
• Zero out the Public Housing Capital Fund that would result in 200,000 fewer housing choice vouchers – this has a huge impact on seniors as 33 percent of public housing homes and 24 percent of voucher homes are senior households;
• Zero out the HOME and Community Development Block Grant programs;
• Eliminate the National Housing Trust
• Provide inadequate funding for homeless assistance programs at a time when homelessness among older adults is on the rise. 

The proposal does mention a forthcoming “comprehensive package of rental housing reforms” that would raise rents for all HUD residents, do away with medical expense and other income deductions, and allow housing authorities to impose work requirements for non-elderly, non-disabled residents. 

On the same day he released the budget request, President Trump also requested an addendum that takes advantage of some of the newly available non-defense discretionary funds that resulted from the budget agreement reached by Congress last week. The $2 million would be used to hold harmless elderly households and households with persons with disabilities from HUD’s proposed rent increases; restore housing choice voucher funding from some of the cuts proposed for FY19; and provide additional funds for the Public Housing Operating Fund account. 

We will be very active on the federal level in voicing our concerns over these deep cuts to affordable housing programs. Watch Advantage and your email for more details.