Friends, Please join the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition and many other VT organizations TODAY to help: STOP SEQUESTRATION NOW!! Sign Letter Urging Congress to Replace Unfair Sequestration with a Balanced Approach to Deficit Reduction Sequestration in FY16 imposes deep cuts to important non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs, including HUD and Rural Housing Service housing programs. Join advocates from around the country in calling on Congress to stop sequestration. Sign your organization on by COB TODAY, Friday, August 21 at: http://nlihc.org/issues/participation/ndd_letter. BACKGROUND In 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act, which resulted in 6% across-the-board cuts to housing and most other discretionary programs in 2013. Those cuts resulted in 100,000 fewer housing choice vouchers being in use in 2014, as well as cuts to every other HUD and Rural Housing Service program. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 negotiated by Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) provided partial, temporary relief from sequestration in FY14 and FY15. However, sequestration has returned in FY16 with a devastating impact on appropriations bills for NDD programs. For example, the HUD spending bills either passed by the House or passed by the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which comply with the sequester spending caps, would:
Effectively eliminate the HOME program with a 93% funding cut (Senate bill).
Empty the National Housing Trust Fund in 2016 and forever after (House bill).
Fail to renew existing vouchers (House bill would not renew 28,000 existing vouchers, Senate bill would not renew 50,000 existing vouchers).
Insufficiently fund the renewal of all project-based rental assistance contracts (House bill).
Cut public housing capital funds (House and Senate bills).
Eliminate increases sought by HUD for Homeless Assistance Grants (House and Senate bills).
If Congress fails to replace sequestration with a balanced approach to deficit reduction that achieves parity in relief for NDD and defense programs, legislators will be locked into passing final spending bills with these severe cuts. See NLIHC’s budget chart for more information about cuts to housing: http://bit.ly/1Hi0YA9 HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION Join advocates from many sectors around the country by signing a letter urging Congress to replace sequestration with a balanced approach to deficit reduction. The deadline is COB TODAY, Friday, August 21. Sign the letter at http://nlihc.org/issues/participation/ndd_letter View the letter at http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/NDD_Sign-On_Fall-2015.pdf
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