$71.4 Billion in FY2019 Funding For Transportation & Housing Programs (H.R. 267)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 267?
(Updated May 26, 2021)
This bill would provide a total of $71.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Depts. of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development in fiscal year 2019 — an increase of $1.1 billion from the year prior.
TRANSPORTATION
This section would provide $26.6 billion in discretionary FY19 funding for the Dept. of Transportation (DOT), a decrease of $698 million from the prior year. That’d include:
$1 billion for BUILD grants (previously known as TIGER grants).
$3.3 billion in additional funding would be provided for highway programs, including $90 million to eliminate hazards at railway-highway grade crossing and $800 million for bridge repairs.
$46 billion in budgetary resources from the Highway Trust Fund for the Federal-aid Highways Program.
$17.7 billion in budgetary resources for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fully fund air traffic controllers, engineers, maintenance technicians, safety inspectors, and operational support personnel.
$1 billion for FAA Next Generation Air Transportation Systems (NextGen); $168 million for the Contract Towers program; and $750 million in additional funding for airport improvements.
$2.8 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, including $1.9 billion to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and National Network to continue service for all current routes.
$13.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), with grants totaling $9.9 billion from the Highway Trust Fund’s Mass Transit Account.
$956 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, $667 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and $275 million for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD)
This section would provide $44.5 billion in discretionary FY19 funding for HUD, an increase of $1.8 billion from the prior year. Increases are targeted toward continuing assistance for elderly and disabled beneficiaries of rental assistance programs. HUD’s rental assistance programs would receive the following amounts:
$22.8 billion for tenant-based Section 8 vouchers;
$11.7 billion for project-based Section 8;
$7.5 billion for public housing;
$678 million for housing for the elderly;
$154 million for housing for persons with disabilities.
HUD’s Community Planning and Development programs would receive a total of $7.8 billion, an increase of $99 million from the prior year. Of the total, $3.3 billion would go to Community Development Block Grants, $2.6 billion to Homeless Assistance Grants, $1.4 billion for the HOME program, and $375 million to provide housing for people with AIDS.
Within the homeless assistance programs, $20 million would go to new family unification vouchers to prevent youth leaving foster care from becoming homeless. Another $80 million would be provided for grants and technical assistance to test comprehensive efforts to end youth homelessness in urban and rural areas. Additionally, $50 million would go to rapid rehousing for domestic violence victims, and $40 million for new HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers.
A total of $260 million would be allocated to combating lead hazards through grants to communities to protect children from lead poisoning, an increase of $30 million from the year prior.
Argument in favor
This bill would fully fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, which are currently affected by the shutdown, for through September to keep transportation and public housing programs operating.
Argument opposed
While this bill may be bipartisan, it has no chance of becoming law unless a deal is struck on border security. Congress should focus on reaching an overarching funding compromise.
Impact
The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and beneficiaries of its programs; and the Dept. of Transportation.
Cost of H.R. 267
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) introduced this bill to fund the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development for the rest of fiscal year 2019:
“This week, the House will consider the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill as a standalone measure. This bill funds the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Passing it will ensure that people living in housing supported by HUD aren’t evicted.”
President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have said that no funding bills will become law unless the $5.7 billion border security funding request is included.
House Democrats passed a version of this bill as part of a $271 billion “minibus” funding package that funded all agencies impacted by the government shutdown (except for Homeland Security) on the first day of the 116th Congress.
A similar version of this legislation passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 31-0 vote as a standalone bill during the last Congress. It was then added to a broader “minibus” funding package that passed the Senate as a whole on a 92-6 vote.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
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