House Democrats are fighting against the proposed budget set forth in finance committee with 14 proposed amendments to various areas of housing and other funding.
During the House Financial Services Committee markup to consider the committee’s Budget Views and Estimates for Fiscal Year 2019, Democrats offered several amendments when it comes to funding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and some of its programs as well as other key funding areas.
Of the Democrats' 14 proposed markups to the bill, six of the amendments were adopted by the committee. The amendments were put forth by Ranking Member Maxine Waters, D-California, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisconsin, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., and Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash.
When President Donald Trump first announced the budget, HUD pointed out that it would be a slight increase in funding from the president’s 2018 budget proposal. However, it also received significant criticism as it still cut the budget by about $6 billion from the pre-Trump era and cut several of HUD’s programs.
Here are the amendments the committee adopted:
- An amendment by Velazquez to examine the conduct of landlords participating in the Section 8 Program
- An amendment by Velazquez to investigate the impact of funding of Public Housing Authorities and seek ways to ensure capital repairs are made to improve the health and well-being of residents
- An amendment by Green urging HUD to quickly and efficiently disburse CDBG disaster funding and highlighting the disasters that devastated the Southern U.S. and communities across the country in 2017
- An amendment by Green highlighting the need for HUD to use funding efficiently as it pertains to the programs at the agency and the use of taxpayer funds for procurement of interior decor
- An amendment by Heck highlighting potential reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.
- An amendment by Green highlighting the need for the Federal Reserve to use its resources to achieve maximum employment in all communities for the betterment of the economy
And here is a list of the amendments that were struck down:
- An amendment by Waters to prioritize the funding and review of legislative proposals necessary to end homelessness
- An amendment by Lynch to support HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, which provides funding to revitalize severely distressed public housing units
- An amendment by Kildee to increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant program and highlight the importance of CDBG in meeting the needs of underserved communities
- An amendment by Kildee to increase funding for HUD’s housing counseling program and highlight the benefits and demand for housing counseling services
- An amendment by Kildee urging HUD to reexamine its investment in programs that are critical to the U.S.’s cities and towns
- An amendment by Green to appropriately fund the overall HUD budget
- An amendment by Lynch to support the Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and highlight the legislation’s safeguards, as well as the economic growth and success since its enactment
- An amendment by Waters to support the committee’s efforts to investigate Trump’s financial ties to Russia. The amendment also urges the Department of Treasury to hold Russia accountable for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and deter future meddling by imposing the mandatory sanctions on Russia as required by the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
- An amendment by Green highlighting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s unique role in enforcing fair lending laws and preventing discrimination, particularly through testing
- An amendment by Ellison highlighting the importance of consumer protections and maintaining the CFPB’s independent funding structure
- An amendment by Ellison to support the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, a program that collects data about potential discrimination in mortgage lending
- An amendment by Moore and Heck to support restoring the full functionality of the Export-Import Bank
- An amendment by Waters urging the committee to monitor the developments in fintech and conduct extensive oversight to ensure inclusion and protection of consumers as well as support for the nation’s community banks and credit unions
- An amendment by Waters to support small businesses by appropriately funding the Community Development Financial Institution Fund and Community Development Block Grant program, reauthorizing the State Small Business Credit Initiative and enforcing data collection requirements regarding women and minority-owned small businesses, as mandated by Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act.
