Please take note of this action alert and update on federal housing advocay:
President Biden and congressional leaders have pledged to restart negotiations on the “Build Back Better Act” after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) postponed a vote on the economic recovery package in late December. Every single Democratic senator and nearly all Democratic representatives are needed to enact this legislation and its historic investments in affordable housing.
Your advocacy is needed, now more than ever. As negotiations continue, it is crucial that advocates continue to make their voices heard to protect and advance the bill’s historic investments in rental assistance, public housing, and the Housing Trust Fund for those most in need. Email and call your senators today!
Background
The House of Representatives voted in November 2021 to approve the Build Back Better Act, an historic economic recovery package that includes significant investments in the HoUSed campaign’s top priorities:
- $25 billion to expand rental assistance to more than 300,000 households. See how many vouchers your state would receive here.
- $65 billion to preserve public housing for its 2.5 million residents; and
- $15 billion for the national Housing Trust Fund to build and preserve over 150,000 affordable, accessible homes for households with the lowest incomes. See NLIHC’s breakdown of how much each state would receive through the Housing Trust Fund here.
Before the bill can be enacted into law, it now must be approved by the Senate, where the legislation must garner the support of every Democratic senator. Congressional leaders are using the “budget reconciliation” process that allows Congress to enact legislation with a simple majority in the Senate, rather than the typical 60 votes.
Congress adjourned at the end of the year without voting on the economic recovery package after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) publicly stated that he does not support the legislation. To garner his support, congressional leaders will make significant changes to the legislation. Any effort to reduce the size and scope of the economic recovery package puts investments in affordable housing at risk of deep cuts or elimination. Senator Manchin proposed today to limit the bill to only the climate change provisions and to eliminate all other investments, including those in affordable housing.
Congress needs to hear from you about why investments in rental assistance, public housing, and the Housing Trust Fund are critical to your community.
Take Action
Please email and call your senators and urge them to ensure that any compromise legislation includes historic investments in affordable housing, including rental assistance, public housing and the Housing Trust Fund.
Thank you for your advocacy!
