Congress adjourns for the year, gears up for an action-packed New Year
After a nail-biting final week in the Capitol, both congressional Chambers adjourned for the year, wrapping up the 114th Congress with last-minute negotiations on government funding. With under an hour to go before federal funding was set to expire at midnight last Friday, Congressional lawmakers agreed to a temporary funding measure through April 28th, 2017. Despite averting a shutdown last weekend, the stopgap spending measure, or Continuing Resolution (CR), sets up another funding debate for late spring of 2017.
While the Senate nominations process for Cabinet appointees and a Supreme Court nominee make for a busy spring, adding a time-consuming funding debate to the mix has the potential to reveal the level of political alignment between Congress and the new Administration, as well as the role of Democrats post-election. With Republicans pledging to reform both the tax code and access to health care during the first quarter of the year, outgoing House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rodgers (R-KY) called the April spending deadline “extremely difficult” in terms of timing.
In order to continue government funding past April, Congress next year can still approve FY2017 funding bills, which would apply retroactively to the entire fiscal year. Alternately, a third CR could be used to bridge the gap between the end of April and the start of the next fiscal year in October. However, this so-called ‘flat funding’ would effectively act as a funding cut, negatively impacting affordable housing programs.
NAHMA will keep members updated on the upcoming funding discussions and advocate to avoid any negative impact on affordable housing programs.
The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Act Introduced
On Dec. 9, Senator Menendez (D-NJ) Introduced the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Act (S.3537), which would authorize HUD to transform neighborhoods of extreme poverty into sustainable, mixed-income neighborhoods with access to economic opportunities by revitalizing severely distressed housing and leveraging investments in well-functioning services, educational opportunities, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs. The bill would also make HUD’s Choice Neighborhood Program a permanent program.
This bill was introduced on the last day of Congress, so it did not have the chance to move through congressional committees; instead, it serves as a placeholder for the new Congress to take up at their discretion.
HUD ‘Landing Team’ in place
Before the new administration takes office, transition teams gather information about each government agency, including policy initiatives and personnel, to facilitate a smooth transition of power. According to Transition website, here are the following members for HUD’s transition team:
John Bravacos, Law Office of John G. Bravacos
Jimmy Kemp, Jack Kemp Foundation
Shawn Krause, Quicken Loans
Elvis Solivan, Philadelphia Parking Authority
In the coming weeks, NAHMA looks to meet with the HUD transition team. Please let us know if you have any past experience or connections with any of the above-mentioned transition team members.