The House narrowly passed the FY 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 8646), by a 213–210 vote. Nearly all Democrats and five Republicans opposed the measure.

By the Numbers: While overall USDA funding would decline slightly under the bill, key Rural Housing Service (RHS) multifamily housing programs would largely maintain current funding levels:

  • Section 515 Multifamily Housing Direct Loans: $50 million, level with FY26 and the president’s request.
  • Section 538 Multifamily Housing Guaranteed Loans: $400 million, level with FY26 but $100 million below the president’s request.
  • Section 521 Rental Assistance: $1.795 billion, an $80 million (5 percent) increase over FY26 and equal to the president’s request.
    • The bill also expands USDA’s rental assistance decoupling pilot from 1,000 to 5,000 units to help preserve affordability in aging Section 515 and 516 properties.
  • Section 542 Rural Housing Vouchers: $48 million, level with FY26 despite the administration’s proposal to eliminate the program.
  • Rental Preservation Demonstration Program: $30 million, level with FY26 and the president’s request.

What’s Next: The Senate Appropriations Committee recently postponed markup of its FY 2027 USDA funding bill and has not yet announced a new date.