Senate Continues Deliberations on FY23 Government Funding Bill
Senators continue to negotiate over a potential fiscal 2023 government funding bill, with lawmakers including the priorities of both Democrats and Republicans in hopes of eventually gaining bipartisan support. Current government funding is set to expire on Dec. 16, and Senate leadership is considering a one-week stopgap extension to buy more time for an agreement on full-year funding. The potential Dec. 23 deadline would put extra pressure on Congress to finish negotiations and pass the funding bill before the start of the holidays. However, negotiators have yet to agree on the top-line funding levels and Democrats will still need at least 10 Republicans to pass the bill in the Senate. The two sides remain divided on domestic spending by about $25 billion.
The Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and the Ranking Member, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), are both retiring at the end of the year and have said they do not want to leave Congress without the funding issues resolved for the remainder of fiscal 2023. Chairman Leahy made the following statement on Thursday, “At this very moment, my door and the doors of my staff are open to join us in our work at any time. But time is running out, and we must move forward. On Monday, Chair DeLauro and I will introduce an omnibus bill that we believe is fair and bipartisan. It will fully fund defense at the NDAA level and provide the needed increase to non-defense programs to stave off inflation and serve the American people. In an effort to reach bipartisan agreement, we eliminated the so-called poison pill riders that Republicans have objected too. We firmly believe that this bill can and should earn the votes of at least 10 Republican Senators.” NAHMA has advocated for full year funding bills for HUD and USDA, and continues to monitor this situation closely.
To read Chairman Leahy’s full statement, click here.
Senators Introduce Housing Bill for Homeless Students
Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Angus King (I-ME), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have recently introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure students are not forced to choose between housing or pursuing an education. The Housing for Homeless Students Act (S.5108 and H.R.9313) would update current law to ensure students, including veterans, who have experienced homelessness or are currently homeless, can access affordable housing while pursuing their education. The legislation would also benefit youth who age out of foster care who experience higher rates of homelessness and unemployment. Currently, individuals pursuing full-time education are not eligible for LIHTC and can lose access to scholarships and grants if they switch to part-time education in order to retain access to affordable housing. If students pursue a part-time education, they risk losing out on scholarships and grants available to full-time students only. The original intent of the rule was to prevent LIHTC funding from being used to construct student housing for students who have temporarily low-incomes at the expense of low-income families with long-term needs. However, current law provides no exception for homeless or formerly-homeless students. The Housing for Homeless Students Act would also benefit homeless veterans and young people who age out of foster care and often experience higher rates of homelessness and unemployment. The Housing for Homeless Students Act was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance for further deliberation.
To view the full bill text, click here.