The USDA issued a final rule to streamline environmental reviews: Effective April 3, the rule consolidates NEPA requirements across USDA agencies, including Rural Development, reducing regulations by 66% and cutting environmental review timelines by up to 80%, potentially accelerating rural housing development.
USDA aligned multifamily rental assistance with HUD: USDA’s final rule aligned income and asset calculations for key multifamily housing programs (including Section 515 and Farm Labor Housing) with HUD’s HOTMA standards, simplifying compliance and standardizing federal housing rules with an effective date of April 13.
FY2027 Rural Housing Budget: Housing Assistance Council (HAC) released a chart comparing FY26 Final, President’s FY 27 Request, and House FY 27 markup budget funding. 515 Multifamily Loans and 521 Rental Assistant accounts remained level funded across all three iterations at $50 million and $1.715 billion, respectively.
What’s Next: The House is set to have its full committee markup at 10 am today on Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill.
The Senate has yet to release its markup schedule.
