Policy

Policy News from Congress

Final Funding Levels Set for FY 2021

On December 27, 2020 President Trump signed into law an omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2021, keeping most USDA rural housing programs at their FY20 dollar levels. The bill was rolled into a package that included a coronavirus relief measure to protect U.S. residents and the economy in the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases and the expiration of provisions adopted in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March. The final amounts are shown in the table below for USDA’s housing programs and here for HUD. Early information on the coronavirus relief portion of the bill package is posted here.

 

USDA Rural Dev. Prog.
(dollars in millions)
FY19 Final Approp. FY20 Final Approp. FY21 Admin. Budget FY21 House Bill
FY21 Senate Bill FY21 Final Approp.
502 Single Fam. Direct
Self-Help setaside*
$1,000
5*
 $1,000
5*
0
0
 $1,000
5*
$1,000
5*
$1,000
5*
502 Single Family Guar.  24,000  24,000 24,000 24,000 24,000 24,000
504 VLI Repair Loans  28 28  0 28 28 28
504 VLI Repair Grants  30 30  30 30 30 30
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.  40 40 0 40 40 40
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.  27.5 28 0 28 28 28
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.  10 10 0 10 10 10
521 Rental Assistance 1,331.4  1,375  1,410**  1,410** 1,410 1,410
523 Self-Help TA  30 31  0 31 31 31
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants  15 15  15 15 15 15
538 Rental Hsg. Guar. 230 230  230  230 230 230
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)  24.5 28  40  30 28  28
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers  27 32  40**  40** 34  40
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init. 6 6 0 6 6 6
Rental Prsrv. TA 1 1 0 0 2  2

* For the self-help setaside in Section 502 direct, the figures in the table represent budget authority, not program levels.
** The budget and the FY21 House bill would separate vouchers from MPR and move them into the Rental Assistance account. The Senate bill, and the final version, do not.