ChangingPost-ElectionPoliticalLandscape:
5WaysYouCanTakeActionFriday,December2
Speakers:
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ElayneWeissSeniorPolicyAnalyst
SarahMickelsonDirectorofPublicPolicy
DianeYentelPresidentandCEO
5Ways YouCanTake Action:
1. ProtectAffordableHousingResources2. ShareYourSuccessStory3. ProtecttheHousingTrustFund4. ReprioritizeFederalSpendingonHousing5. IncludeHousinginanyInfrastructureSpendingBill
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1.ProtectAffordableHousingResources
StopFurtherCutsintheFY2017Budget:
CongressislikelytopassanotherContinuingResolutiontokeepthegovernmentfundedthroughSpring2017toallowthenextCongressandPresidenttomakebudgetdecisions.ThisprovidesCongresswiththeopportunitytoenactevendeepercutstoHUDandUSDARuralHousingprograms.
HUDneeds$1.5billioninadditionalfundingoverFY2016enactedlevels—andUSDAneeds$18million—inordertomaintainexistingrentalassistancecontractsandfundinglevels.IfCongressenactsspendingbillsatFY16levels,morethan100,000HousingChoiceVoucherscouldbelost.Formoreinformation,see:http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/CHCDF_Opposition-to-Long-Term-CR_FY17.pdf
PleaseurgeyourMembersofCongresstoenacttheirfinalFY2017spendingbillsassoonaspossibleandtoensurenofurthercutstohousingprograms.Tellthemwhatfurtherbudgetcutswillmeanforyourcommunities.4
LifttheSpendingCapsinFY2018TheBudgetControlActof2011 setinmotionverylowspendingcapsonfederalspendingondefenseandnon-defenseprograms.Sincethen,Congresshasreachedshort-termagreementstoincreasespendingabovetheselimits.However,tightspendingcapsreturnfortheFY2018budgetandposeasignificantrisktohousingprograms.President-electTrumpwantstoliftthecapondefensespendingonly,puttingthefullweightofthesebudgetlimitationsonnon-defenseprograms,includingaffordablehousing.Healsoproposedcuttingnon-defensespendingbyanadditional1%eachyearforthenext10years..PleaseurgeyourMembersofCongresstoprotectaffordablehousingresourcesfromstrictspendingcaps.Askthemto:1. Lifttheharmfulspendingcaps.2. Ensureparity(1:1)betweendefenseandnon-defenseprograms.3. Providethehighestallocationpossibleforhousingprograms.
ProtectAffordableHousingResourcescont.
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2.ShareYourSuccessStory
ShowCongressthePositiveImpactsofFederalHousingPrograms
NLIHCandothernationalleadersarepreparinganationalreportonthebroad,positiveimpactsofHUDandUSDAaffordablehousingprogramstosharewithMembersofCongress.Ourhopeistofeatureawiderangeofsuccessstoriestodemonstratehowtheseprogramshavehelpedlowincomepeoplelivinginrural,suburban,andurbancommunitiesnationwide.Thereportisslatedforpublicationinearly2017.
Itisimportantthatwecollectsuccessstoriesfromacrossthecountry—especiallyiftheyareonourtargetlistfortheHouseandSenate.Seethetargetlisthere:http://bit.ly/2fVEt9o
SubmitaSuccessStorybyDecember15,2016athttps://nlihc.wufoo.com/forms/chcdf-success-story-survey/
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3.ProtecttheNationalHousingTrustFund
SignificantThreatstotheNationalHTFintheNextCongress
Threatsinclude:• Budgetreconciliationprocess– UsingHTFdollarstooffsetcostoftaxreform• Appropriationsprocess– UsingHTFdollarstoplugHUDbudgetholes• Repealofauthorizinglegislation– RenewedeffortstoeliminatetheHTF
TellyourMembersofCongresswhytheHTFiscriticallyneededandshouldbeprotected,especiallyifyourSenatorsorRepresentativesserveontheBanking/FinancialServicesCommitteesorAppropriationsCommittees.
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4.ReprioritizeFederalSpendingonHousing
ReformtheMortgageInterestDeductionandReinvestinKeyHousingPrograms
NLIHCisrelaunchingourUnitedforHomescampaigntoenactmodestreformstotheMIDinordertoexpanditsavailabilitytolowandmoderateincomehomeownersandtoreinvestbillionsofdollarsinsavingsintoaffordablerentalhousingprogramsthatservefamilieswiththegreatestneeds.TheUnitedforHomesproposalwouldgive15millionadditionalhomeownerswhocurrentlydonotbenefitfromMIDataxbreakandwouldgenerate$241billioninsavingsover10yearstobereinvestedintoaffordablerentalhousingforthelowestincomepeople.
Congresswilladdresstaxreformin2017,andMIDwillbeonthetable.Weneedtoensurethattheseresourcesarereinvestedintoaffordablehousingsolutionsforthosewiththegreatestneeds.
JointheUnitedforHomesWebinarinJanuarytolearnmoreabouthowyoucanhelp.
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5.IncludeHousinginanyInfrastructureSpendingBill
AffordableHousingInfrastructureIsKeytoLong-TermEconomicGrowth
Alarge-scaleinvestmentininfrastructureprovidesanopportunitytoexpandaffordablehousingresources.Investinginaffordablehousinginfrastructure—throughnewconstructionandpreservation—bolstersproductivityandeconomicgrowth,providesalong-termassetthatconnectslowincomefamiliestocommunitiesofopportunityandeconomicmobility,andsupportslocaljobcreationandincreasedincomes.
NLIHCurgesCongresstoexpandtheHousingTrustFund,providefundingtorepairandrehabilitatepublichousing,increaseHousingChoiceVouchers,andmakeaffordablehousingdevelopmentseligibleforanyinfrastructurebankortaxincentives.ForNLIHC’sHousingInfrastructureFactsheet,see:http://bit.ly/2fDBAIX
PleaseaskyourMemberofCongresstoincludeaffordablehousinginanyinfrastructurespendingbill.
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HouseRepublicans’ABetterWayAnti-PovertyPlan• Proposeswelfarereform-stylechangestohousingprograms,
includingworkrequirementsandtimelimitsthatcouldleadtodeeperpoverty.Extremepovertydoubledunderwelfarereform.
• Wemayalsoseeattemptstoblockgranthousingprogramstothestates.
• Opportunitiestoimprovevoucheradministrationandmobility.
AttacksonFairHousing• LookoutforlanguageonspendingbillsthatwouldpreventHUD
fromimplementingitsAffirmativelyFurtheringFairHousingrule.LikelyHUDSecretaryBenCarsoncalledit“socialengineering”andfederaloverreach.
• WeneedtoeducateCongressonwhyAFFHwillhelppromoteeconomicmobilitybyallowingmorepeopletoliveincommunitieswithaccesstogoodschools,jobs,andtransit.
Threats/OpportunitiesfortheLowIncomeHousingTaxCredit• Thegoaloftaxreformistolowercorporatetaxrates.Todoso,
Congresswouldneedtoeliminatenearlyalltaxexpenditures,puttingtheHousingCreditatrisk.Itiscriticaltocontinuetobuildsupport—especiallyamongRepublicans—forS.3237,introducedbySenatorCantwell(D-WA)andHatch(R-UT),toexpandandimprovetheHousingCreditsothatitbetterservespeoplewiththegreatest,clearestneeds.
• OpportunitiesthroughanInfrastructurespendingbill.
OnOurRadar…
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Questions?
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ForMoreInformation:
SarahMickelson,[email protected]
ElayneWeiss,[email protected]
Acopyofthispresentationandadvocacymaterialswillbeprovidedafterthewebinar.
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