Members of Congress worked through the weekend to draft a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding for the federal government until December 20 and include minimal needed spending adjustments for certain programs to ensure they receive adequate funding to operate for the duration of the CR (known as “anomalies”). The CR also includes funding for the Secret Service to provide additional security for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates through inauguration in January. Notably, the CR does not include the controversial “SAVE Act,” which mandates that states adopt restrictive identification requirements for individuals registering to vote and which has been a major sticking point in negotiations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) introduced the measure in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 22 after spending the weekend hashing out the bipartisan agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). A failed House vote last week on Speaker Johnson’s proposed CR, which included the controversial “SAVE Act,” spurred negotiations between Speaker Johnson and Leader Schumer, with both eager to pass a CR by September 30 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Speaker Johnson is expected to bring the CR for a vote in the House as early as September 25, with a likely vote in the Senate soon after.
Take Action!
While Congress is expected to avoid a shutdown, advocates should continue pressuring their members of Congress not only to finalize a CR but to enact a final fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending bill that provides increased funding for HUD’s vital affordable housing and homelessness programs. Long-term CRs and government shutdowns have serious consequences for HUD programs: because the cost of housing and homelessness programs rise every year, it is vital these programs receive increased funding every year just to maintain current levels of assistance.
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 and expand assistance to 20,000 more households.
- $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 emotional weight 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.