www.mlive.com Open in urlscan Pro
2600:141b:1c00:7::1728:b396  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Skip to Article
Subscribe
 1. Reckon




CONGRESS’ INABILITY TO PASS YEAR-LONG BUDGET INSTEAD OF STOPGAP BILLS ENDANGERS
CRITICAL PROGRAMS


 * Published: Jan. 19, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

The U.S Capitol is seen on a sunny day in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024.
( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
 * 
 * 

By
 * Makaelah Walters

Lawmakers passed a continuing resolution last night, averting a partial
government shutdown as President Joe Biden signed it into law on Friday
afternoon.

The temporary resolution sustains funding for agencies like the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) until March, when Democrats and Republicans
will again weigh funding cuts that put millions of vulnerable families at risk.

“Unfortunately, because of decades of underfunding by Congress, the nation’s
affordable housing safety net is vastly insufficient to meet the level of need.”
Kim Johnson, Manager of Public Policy at National Low Income Housing Coalition,
said.



Johnson said people making less than the Area Medium Income or living below the
poverty line are hardest hit by the uncertainty about continued funding for HUD
programs and potential budget cuts. As costs of living continue to rise,
families who rely on public assistance for housing are forced to spend more and
more of their income — as much as 50 percent, Johnson said — on housing over
time.

Johnson called this the housing cost burden and it often means families have
less money for necessities like food and medicine. Many are “one unexpected
bill, missed paycheck or emergency away from facing eviction and in extreme
cases homelessness” Johnson said.

“Increased homelessness is the tragic, but predictable, consequence of cutting
funding for the programs that help keep people safely, stably housed,” she said.

If Congress fails to intervene before May 1, automatic spending cuts could push
more than half a million families off of their housing benefits, putting many at
risk of homelessness, HUD officials have said.



The steep cuts would also force the already understaffed agency to furlough
staff members and cut other HUD programs.

Johnson said it would almost surely delay important internal processes like
grant application reviews and approvals, as well as decrease the agency’s
capacity to conduct Fair Housing investigations, inspections of HUD-assisted
housing, all of which reduce the number of families HUD is able to serve.

HUD’s housing choice voucher program alone accounts for most of HUD’s spending,
subsidizing rent for more than 2 million households.

Proposed compromises between party members suggest cutting housing assistance
significantly, however. An early deal between Republican House Speaker Mike
Johnson and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer eliminated about
80,000 Housing Choice Vouchers.

Even the proposed increases fall short, according to Kim Johnson. Previous
estimates show HUD would need a $13 billion dollar increase to fully fund all of
its programs due to the drastic rise in the cost of rent, inflation and lower
receipts from the Federal Housing Administration, which typically help offset
HUD spending. The House’ draft bills provided a $6.4 billion increase to HUD and
the Senate provided an increase of $8.26 billion, resulting in a loss of 80,000
and 112,000 vouchers respectively.



“Congress can — and must — prioritize full renewal of all existing HCV
contracts, in order to ensure households do not lose the assistance they rely on
to keep a roof over their heads,” Johnson said.

Congress’s short-term spending plan will keep the government funded until early
March.



If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site,
we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User
Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may
be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other
third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.





FOOTER NAVIGATION

About Us
 * Contact Us
 * Jobs at MLive
 * MLive Media Group
 * Our Team
 * Advertise with us
 * Accessibility Statement

Subscriptions
 * MLive.com
 * Newsletters
 * The Ann Arbor News
 * The Bay City Times
 * The Flint Journal
 * The Grand Rapids Press
 * Jackson Citizen Patriot
 * Kalamazoo Gazette
 * Muskegon Chronicle
 * The Saginaw News

Already a Subscriber
 * Manage your Subscription
 * Place a Vacation Hold
 * Make a Payment
 * Delivery Feedback

MLive Sections
 * Jobs
 * Autos
 * Real Estate
 * Rentals
 * Classifieds
 * News
 * Business
 * Sports
 * Advice
 * High School Sports
 * Betting
 * Life
 * Opinion
 * Obituaries

Your Regional News Pages
 * Saginaw
 * Jackson
 * Kalamazoo
 * Muskegon
 * Ann Arbor
 * Bay City
 * Flint
 * Grand Rapids

Mobile
 * Mobile apps

More on MLive
 * Video
 * Weather
 * Post a job
 * Archives
 * Classifieds
 * Sell your car
 * Sell/Rent your home
 * Sponsor Content

Follow Us
 * Twitter
 * Facebook
 * YouTube
 * RSS




DISCLAIMER

Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of
our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and
Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 12/31/2023).

Your Privacy Rights

© 2024 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us).
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted,
cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance
Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this
site.

YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is
available here.

Ad Choices

Ad



X


OPT OUT OF THE SALE OR SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

If you opt out, we won’t sell or share your personal information to inform the
ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or
shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously.

DismissOpt out