President Trump signed H.R. 5371 into law to end the government shutdown after a record-breaking 43 days.

H.R. 5371 funded three of twelve appropriations bills through the remainder of FY 2026, while the remaining government operations are funded by a continuing resolution through January 30.

Go Deeper: The Council of Affordable and Rural Housing (CARH) details the Rural Development funding included in the FY 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill:

  • $1.715 billion – Section 521 Rental Assistance (RA). Language has been included that allows for RA contracts to be for 20 years, subject to annual appropriations.
  • The Stand-Alone Rental Assistance (SARA) pilot program, which permits properties to continue receiving RA when a Section 515 mortgage matures, will continue. The program would be expanded from 1,000 units in FY 2025 to 5,000 units in FY 2026, allowing an owner to preserve properties, without the regulatory and servicing issues surrounding a Section 515 mortgage.
  • $50 million – Section 515, of which $15 million can be used for new construction.
  • $400 million – Section 538 Guaranteed Multifamily Housing Loan program.
  • $48 million – Section 542 Rural Housing Voucher program.
  • $30 million – Multifamily Revitalization and Preservation (MPR) program.
  • $75 million – IT expenses. This last item is of paramount importance for the multifamily portfolio and so that the SARA pilot program can be successful.

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) also created a chart that shows USDA Rural Housing Service Funding Levels compared to previous years and different versions of the FY26 appropriations bill.

What’s Next: The House and Senate are quickly working on the remaining nine appropriations bills. Politico reports Congress is working on the second package of spending bills and is considering the following five bills for inclusion:

  1. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies;
  2. Defense;
  3. Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies;
  4. Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; and
  5. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.