Several USDA rural housing programs would receive increased funding in fiscal year 2020 under the draft spending bill revealed by the House Appropriations Committee’s Agriculture Subcommittee on May 22, 2019. The subcommittee will mark up the bill on May 23.

Rejecting the Administration budget’s proposals to eliminate funding for most of the USDA housing programs, the House bill would continue funding Section 502 direct and guaranteed loans at current levels, would increase funds for organizations that help first-time homebuyers build their own homes, and would add to the resources available to preserve affordable rural rental housing. Section 515 rental housing would receive $45 million, the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) program would rise to $40 million, and Section 542 rural vouchers would increase to $35 million. The bill does not, however, include preservation technical assistance, which was funded at $1 million in each of fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Section 521 Rental Assistance (RA) would get the full $1.375 billion calculated by USDA as necessary to renew all current RA contracts. Details are provided in the table below.

The House bill would also prohibit the expenditure of funds for USDA’s planned relocation of the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

USDA Rural Development Appropriations[tdborder][/tdborder]

* For the self-help setaside in Section 502 direct, the figures in the table represent budget authority, not program levels.
** The total budget authority for Section 504 grants and Section 533 is $45 million. The committee’s report on the bill, when it becomes available, will allocate totals for the two programs.
*** The total budget authority for Sections 514 and 516 is $19.36 million. The committee’s report on the bill, when it becomes available, will allocate totals for the two programs.