Federal Government at Risk of Partial Shutdown at Midnight Tonight – Take Action!

The U.S. House of Representatives passed along a mostly party-line vote on March 12, a stopgap funding bill that would extend funding for federal programs from the level provided in the previous fiscal year (FY), while also allocating additional funding for a limited number of key programs (see Memo, 3/10). The stopgap bill – known as a “continuing resolution” (CR), and drafted with only Republican input – would last through September 30, the remainder of the current fiscal year.  

While the year-long CR would provide increased funding for some of HUD’s vital programs, overall, the bill would underfund the department. HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program would be funded at a level roughly $700 million below what would be required to fully renew all exiting HCV contracts, resulting in the loss of an estimated 32,000 vouchers from the program. HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants program would fall $168 million short of what would be required to ensure continued services for the people currently receiving them; a large enough shortfall would force shelters to limit services or close their doors altogether, impacting services for an estimated 20,000 people experiencing or at immediate risk of homelessness.  

The bill passed the House along an extremely thin margin; most Senate Democrats first refused to commit to voting for the stopgap plan, but Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) has since relented, saying he would vote for the CR to avoid a shutdown.  

“I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people," the Majority Leader stated in a speech on the Senate floor last night. "Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down." 

House Democrats and some Senate Democrats, including Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), are pushing instead for another temporary spending bill that would extend federal funding through April 11, giving appropriators additional time to reach a final FY25 agreement.  

Advocates should contact members of Congress TODAY and urge them to pass a temporary CR and final FY25 spending bill with increased funding for HUD’s affordable housing and homelessness programs! 

Insufficient funding, budget cuts, and long-term CRs have a devastating impact on affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs. CRs maintain spending levels from the previous fiscal year, but because the cost of affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs rises every year, increased annual funding for HUD programs is required to simply maintain the number of people served by these vital programs.  

Likewise, shutdowns have a major effect on affordable housing and homelessness programs. HUD must receive consistent, reliable funding to ensure programs and services can continue without disruption. During a shutdown, HUD programs must rely on limited reserve funding to ensure that people remain stably housed, construction projects can continue, and services are not terminated. Over the long-term, shutdowns create uncertainty for families and communities who rely on HUD funding, making it more difficult to form public/private partnerships to help address the affordable housing crisis and sowing fear among tenants living in assisted housing.  

Take Action

Urge Congress to pass a final FY25 spending bill with increased funding for HUD’s affordable housing and homelessness programs! 
 
Advocates can use NLIHC’s resources to take action today and push Congress to pass increased funding for affordable housing and homelessness in FY25, including for NLIHC’s top priorities: 

• Full funding to renew all existing contracts for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. 
• $6.2 billion for public housing operations and $5.2 billion for public housing capital needs.
• $4.7 billion for HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program.
• $100 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program.
• At least $1.3 billion for Tribal housing programs, plus $150 million for competitive funds targeted to tribes with the greatest needs. 

Use NLIHC’s toolkits and resources to take action on FY25 funding, including by: 

• Emailing or calling members’ offices to tell them about the importance of affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources to you, your family, your community, or your work. You can use NLIHC’s Take Action page to look up your member offices or call/send an email directly!
• Sharing stories of those directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Storytelling adds meaningful context to your message and can help lawmakers see how their policy decisions impact actual people. Learn about how to tell compelling stories with this resource.
• Using our “Oppose Dramatic Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing” toolkit: This toolkit includes resources, talking points, advocacy ideas, and other helpful information on defending funding for affordable housing and homelessness resources in the FY25 federal budget. Meet with your members and urge them to provide the most possible funding for these vital programs in any final FY25 budget agreement! 

National, state, local, tribal, and territorial organizations can also join over 2,300 organizations on CHCDF’s national letter calling on Congress to support the highest level of funding possible for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources in FY25.