Congress

Last week Congress and the President averted another shutdown by passing funding for the remainder of FY 2019, which runs through Sept. 30, 2019. Overall, the bill provides HUD programs with more than $12 billion above the President’s request and provides $1.5 billion in new resources in FY 2019.

NH&RA member Enterprise Community Partner recently published a blog post on Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Crapo’s (R-ID) housing finance reform outline. Vice President of Policy Development Andrew Jakabovics argues that eliminating the explicit commitment to affordable housing is a step in the wrong direction and that the housing finance system […]

Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Sean Duffy (R-WI) reintroduced the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act of 2019, which encourages families receiving housing choice vouchers to move to lower-poverty areas, enabling more access to areas of greater opportunity.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs will consider the nomination of Mark Calabria to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Feb. 14 at 10 am ET.

Funding for the federal government is government is set to expire on Feb. 15 and lawmakers have been working around the clock to broker a deal on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that can garner support from President Trump and Democrats.

Nondefense discretionary (NDD) United is leading a letter urging Congress to end the Budget Control Act of 2011 sequester spending caps. Overall NDD funding would be cut by 12 percent (adjusting for inflation) compared to fiscal 2019 levels. NH&RA signed the letter and encourages our members to consider signing as well. The deadline to sign the letter is Feb. 15.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) will hold an oversight hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. ET on HUD’s management of rental assistance contracts during the shutdown.

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) released an outline for housing finance reform legislation. In a statement Chairman Crapo said, “we must expeditiously fix our flawed housing finance system. My priorities are to establish stronger levels of taxpayer protection, preserve the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, increase competition among mortgage guarantors, and promote access to affordable housing.” 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released Opportunities to End Homelessness and Housing Poverty in the 116th Congress, a memo to incoming members of Congress on steps to address the lack of decent, accessible and affordable housing. The report calls on members of Congress to:

Joseph Otting, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), told employees that the administration would not wait on Congress to overhaul the nation’s housing finance system. According to remarks obtained by POLITICO at a Jan. 17 FHFA staff meeting Otting said, in the next two to four weeks you’re going to be able […]

Seven Senators and nine members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in which they praise and raise concerns about Treasury’s proposed regulations. The signatories urge Sec. Mnuchin to address remaining questions on investments in operating businesses.

H.J. Res 28 was passed and signed into law on Friday, Jan. 25, ending the 35-day partial government shutdown. With funding secured through Feb. 15, lawmakers in the House and Senate have agreed to go to conference to negotiate a Department of Homeland Security funding bill. Funding for the rest of the government will likely […]