President Biden and congressional leaders are continuing negotiations to raise the nation’s debt ceiling before a debt default, which could occur as early as June 1 if no agreement is reached. Despite the harm posed by a default, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and fellow House Republicans say they will only lift the debt ceiling in exchange for steep cuts to domestic programs, including drastic cuts to HUD’s and USDA’s vital affordable housing and homelessness programs that could reduce funding to these programs by as much as 22%, depending on how cuts are made. It is critical that advocates keep reaching out to their members of Congress to remind them that #CutsHurt!
Join advocates around the country who are expressing to their members of Congress the devastating toll that these cuts would take on their communities through phone calls, emails, and other methods. Here are some ways to take action:
- Post on social media to urge your members of Congress to oppose cuts to housing and homelessness programs. Use the hashtag #CutsHurt and tag your members of Congress and @NLIHC!
- Contact your members of Congress directly by email or phone call.
- Add your organization to a national budget letter.
Strengthen your advocacy efforts by drawing on an array of NLIHC materials, including:
- NLIHC’s advocacy toolkit with talking points, sample social media messages, and more!
- NLIHC’s “Storytelling Tips and Tricks” to find a topic for your creative piece.
- White House factsheets with state-specific numbers to highlight the impact of cuts on constituents in your state.
It is crucial that Congress not enact policies that increase poverty and hardship, especially for people with the lowest incomes. Members of Congress must look beyond dollar amounts and grasp the human cost of cutting and capping federal spending for affordable housing and homelessness programs. Steep budget cuts would make it much harder for people experiencing homelessness to find stable homes and put nearly 1 million of the lowest-income renters at risk of eviction and homelessness by cutting their housing assistance. Housing provides the foundation for stability in all other aspects of life. Many households, if they were to lose HUD assistance, would struggle to put food on the table, stay healthy, and access employment and educational opportunities.
Please reach out to the NLIHC Field Team at [email protected] with questions. Thank you for your advocacy!