Federal / Agency News
Specific BABA Requests
NH&RA is still advocating for BABA relief. We are looking for very specific examples — if you have any of the following, please reach out to Ilana Morof.
Secretary Turner Testifies Before House T-HUD Appropriations Committee
Secretary Turner testified before the House Transportation-Housing and Urban and Related Agencies (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee yesterday to defend the President’s FY 2027 budget. Go Deeper: Read our write-up of the President’s FY 2027 budget request in our April 8 edition. In his statement, Sec.Turner said “Taxpayer dollars are finite. Our responsibility is not. The President’s […]
HUD Proposes Rule to Revise Equal Access Regulations
HUD issued a proposed rule removing the definition of and all references to “gender” and “gender identity” throughout HUD’s regulations and replaced them with “sex” to align HUD’s Equal Access regulations with Executive Order, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” HUD claims these changes would ensure equal […]
HUD Mortgagee Letter Environment
HUD) released Mortgagee Letter 2026-04, which updates environmental requirements within the Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guide. The changes eliminate or revise several existing standards, including the removal of railroad vibration review requirements, updated setback rules for pressurized pipelines and high-voltage transmission lines, and new guidance defining noise-sensitive outdoor uses. These revisions are intended to simplify […]
Senate Democrats Urge HUD to Scrap Fair Housing Rule Rollback
32 Democratic Senators, led by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) asked HUD to withdraw its proposed rule, “HUD’s Implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard.” This proposed rule would rescind the agency’s long-held disparate impact framework under the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and Senators want to […]
HUD and USDA Rescind Final Determination of Energy Standards
HUD and USDA jointly rescinded the “Final Determination: Adoption of Energy Efficiency for New Construction of HUD- and USDA-Financed Housing” published April 26, 2024. This rule required all new single family and multifamily construction to meet stricter energy-efficiency standards (specifically the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code and ASHRAE 90.1) in order to qualify for FHA […]
HUD Releases 2026 Income Limits, With Average Annual Increase of 3.4%
HUD released their 2026 income limits, which take effect May 1 and in the case of decreasing limits, must be implemented by June 15. Go Deeper: Income limits determine eligibility for HUD-assisted programs including public housing, Section 8, Section 202, Section 811, Section 221(d)(3) and Section 236 properties as well as LIHTC properties. By the […]
President Trump Privately Raises Concerns Over BTR in 21st Century ROAD to Housing
President Trump is privately raising concerns about build-to-rent provisions in the 21st Century Road to Housing Act. More specifically, he doesn’t support language that would require mega-landlords to sell single-family homes built as long-term rentals after seven years. According to Politico, Trump agreed to hold off on posting his issues on social media while White […]
HUD Revises Fiscal Year 2026 Fair Market Rents for 7 Areas
HUD issued a notice revising the fiscal year 2026 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for affected areas based on additional survey data reflecting estimated 40th percentile rent levels trended to FY 2026: Revised FMRs are effective May 21, 2026. HUD also released a summary of the most significant concerns and responses from the 21 comments received […]
USDA Accelerates Rural Housing Delivery Amid FY 27 Budget Debates
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 […]
76 Bipartisan House Members Urge Revisions to BTR Provision in Senate’s Housing Bill
A bipartisan House coalition of 76 lawmakers from the Build America Caucus and Congressional Real Estate Caucus sent a letter urging House leadership to “strip or substantially revise” language targeting large institutional investors in single-family housing in the Senate’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. What They’re Saying: The provision in the housing package “would […]
FHEO Rescinds Fair Housing Guidance Documents
HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) withdrew several guidance documents related to Fair Housing following a review. The rescinded guidance includes the following, with September 17, 2025 as the effective date of withdrawal: