Groups concerned about transportation, housing, community development, and homelessness are working together to circulate a letter urging Congress to lift the austere caps on federal spending and to ensure affordable housing, community development, and transportation programs receive the highest allocation of discretionary funds possible for FY18.
Background
When the “Budget Control Act of 2011” was signed into law, it set in motion very low spending caps, limiting federal funding for discretionary programs. Since then, Congress and the White House have reached short-term agreements to provide limited budgetary relief equally for defense and nondefense programs.
Congress reached an agreement last year to increase the spending caps for FY17. But very low spending caps will return for the FY18 budget, which could lead to devastating cuts to key affordable housing, homelessness, and transportation programs.
Why this is important
With more families struggling to make ends meet and our nation's affordable housing and transportation infrastructure deteriorating, federal investments are more critical than ever to sustain our communities and ensure families thrive. While we must work to reduce our nation's deficit over the long-term, balancing our budget should not be done on the backs of our nation’s low income families.
Federal funding provided to the Department of Transportation and HUD provides essential capital and program funding that enables public and private partners to help more than 5 million seniors, people with disabilities, and other families afford stable and safe housing, promote lasting community and family economic success, build critical transportation infrastructure, and spur economic development in communities. Through these investments, Congress reduces homelessness and housing instability, supports small-business job creation, expands our nation's infrastructure capacity, and encourages economic recovery and growth.
How you can take action
Members of Congress need to hear from you! Join housing, community development, and transportation advocates around the country by signing a letter urging Congress to lift the harmful spending caps and to ensure affordable housing, community development, and transportation programs receive the highest allocation of discretionary funds possible for FY18.
Please share the letter and encourage organizations in your network to sign. National, state, and local organizations, as well as state, local, and tribal governments, are welcomed to sign on. The deadline to sign the letter is March 3.
View the letter at: http://bit.ly/2ioVsDU
Sign onto the letter at: http://bit.ly/2jnY5Ee