HUD Secretary Fudge Testifies Before Congressional Committees
This week, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge testified at two appropriations hearings held in Congress. On April 20, she spoke before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the American Jobs Plan. On April 21, she testified before the House Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee on the president’s fiscal year 2022 government funding request.
The Senate Appropriations Committee hearing focused on President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, which includes proposed increases in investments to modernize infrastructure, bolster manufacturing, expand social services, and efforts to mitigate the climate crisis. When asked by committee members how the American Jobs Plan would address public housing and housing infrastructure needs, Secretary Fudge stated, “Nearly 2 million people across the country live in public housing – including families, seniors, and people with disabilities…The American Jobs Plan calls for an investment of $40 billion to improve our public housing infrastructure and address critical safety concerns for residents.” Secretary Fudge also voiced her support for a $111 billion investment to replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines and a $100 billion investment to bring affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband to every American. Discussing the need to make housing more affordable, Secretary Fudge mentioned several policy proposals including further utilizing RAD, housing tax credits, manufactured housing, and affordable multifamily housing programs. Secretary Fudge also discussed the importance of maintain existing housing and told committee members to bring the current portfolios of affordable housing – including the nation’s public housing stock – “back up to code before focusing all their efforts on alternative solutions.”
In the House, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee held a hearing on President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 government funding request. During her testimony, Secretary Fudge provided an outline of the $68.7 billion HUD discretionary funding request, and included the authorizing of $30.4 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Secretary Fudge stated that the increase in funding would expand voucher assistance to an estimated 200,000 households. Responding to a question about Section 202 and Section 811 funding for seniors and people with disabilities, Secretary Fudge provided details on the recent Notice of Funding Announcements and discussed the importance of providing housing for vulnerable populations.
To view the full Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, click here.
To read Secretary Fudge’s testimony on the American Jobs Plan, click here.
To view the full House THUD Subcommittee hearing, click here.
To read Secretary Fudge’s testimony on the FY22 HUD proposed budget, click here.
Senate Republicans Release Infrastructure Proposal
Senate Republicans this week unveiled a $568 billion counter-proposal in response to President Biden’s $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan. The Republican draft proposal includes $299 billion in funding for the construction and repair of roads, bridges, airports and ports and waterways. It also includes providing $61 billion for improving public transit but it does not include providing any funding for housing initiatives. The bill proposes user fees for electric vehicle, the repurposing of $350 billion in unused federal spending allocated to states and local governments by the American Rescue Plan, and other revenue-raising measures to cover the cost of their scaled back infrastructure plan. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the lead negotiator for Republicans on their counter-offer, stated that the proposal serves as a starting point for further discussions on any bipartisan infrastructure proposal. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already indicated that she intends to stick to her July 4th timeline of when she will bring the American Jobs Plan up for a vote in the full House. In the Senate, Democrats have stated they still expect to use the budget reconciliation process (requires only 51 votes) later this year to pass the President Biden’s infrastructure bill with only Democratic votes.
House Agriculture Committee Examines Rural Broadband Connectivity
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing this week on rural broadband and examined internet connectivity needs and opportunities in rural America. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scotts discussed the importance of accessing the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic and how access has been especially important for rural residents seeking information or care. Witnesses discussed limited rural connectivity for both internet and telephones and how that hinders a residents and public agencies ability to reliably hold meetings or provide important information to the public. Witnesses described how this creates a two-tiered system where part of our country has access to information and technology – while those without access end up feeling the brunt of the pandemic in terms of education, remote work, and telemedicine. Members also discussed introducing legislation to create a yearlong competitive grant program to established state broadband offices with the goal of improving broadband connectivity, providing mapping and data collection to target underserved and unserved areas, evaluating broadband costs and local community needs and increasing network resiliency from natural disasters.
To view the full House Agriculture Committee hearing on rural internet connectivity, click here.