A campaign is underway to contact members of Congress and tell them to fully fund rural housing programs and to protect them from the cuts being proposed by the Trump administration and Congress. Join the campaign today!
President Donald Trump’s proposed FY18 budget would require significant reductions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural housing appropriations, including a $60 million cut to Section 521 Rural Rental Assistance, the elimination of the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program, and the elimination of key homeownership programs, including Section 502 Direct Homeownership Loans and Section 523 Mutual Self-Help Housing.
The full House Appropriations Committee voted to advance its draft FY18 USDA spending bill on July 12. While the bill rejects Mr. Trump’s more drastic cuts and program eliminations, it would still significantly reduce funding for rural housing programs from FY17 spending levels.
The full Senate Appropriations Committee voted to approve its draft FY18 USDA spending bill, including funding for Rural Housing programs, on July 20. While the text of the bill is not yet available, the Committee states on its website that the bill provides flat funding for rural development programs at FY17 levels.
NLIHC and nearly 600 organizations from across the country signed onto a letter circulated by the National Rural Housing Coalition (NRHC) opposing Mr. Trump’s proposed cuts and supporting federal rural housing investments.
NLIHC encourages advocates to call their members of Congress to urge them to fully fund rural housing programs.
- Contact your Congressional delegation directly at: http://bit.ly/2rr1AkV
- Read NRHC’s press release about rural advocates’ letter to Congress at: http://prn.to/2tmTGWB
- Read the House draft FY18 USDA spending bill at: http://bit.ly/2uSk2B2
- Read about the Senate draft FY18 USDA spending bill at: http://bit.ly/2vFQMxl
- Review NLIHC’s analysis of the Trump administration’s proposed budget, including funding for USDA Rural Housing programs, at: http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Trump-Budget.pdf
- Review NLIHC’s budget chart at: http://bit.ly/1SowzjU