	Introduction to HUD

Most of the funding for the activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) comes from discretionary appropriations provided each year in the annual appropriations acts enacted by Congress. FY2015 Appropriations

		Final FY2015 Appropriations

On December 16, 2014, the President signed the FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act ( P.L. Prior to enactment of P.L. 113-235 , the government had been funded with three continuing resolutions. 113-235 provides $45.4 billion in gross discretionary appropriations for HUD programs, not accounting for savings from offsets and other sources, about $90 million less than in FY2014 ($45.5 billion). However, net budget authority is higher than in FY2014, approximately $35.6 billion in FY2015 compared to $32.8 billion in FY2014. The primary difference between FY2015 and FY2014 is that estimated receipts from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan insurance program dropped by about $3 billion in FY2015 so that there were fewer offsets. House Action

The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY2015 Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act ( H.R. 4745 ) on May 27, 2014. Two weeks later, on June 10, 2014, the full House approved the bill after voting on a number of amendments. 4745 would have provided $44.7 billion in gross budget authority, and $35.0 billion in net budget authority. It included $46.7 billion in gross discretionary budget authority for HUD, which did not account for savings from rescissions and offsets from receipts and collections. The President's gross funding request was about $1.2 billion more than the amount provided in FY2014 ($45.5 billion). After the President's request was reduced to account for CBO's estimates of offsetting collections and receipts, net budget authority would have been $36.9 billion (compared to $32.8 billion in FY2014). Selected FY2015 Funding Issues

		Funding for Assisted Housing Programs

More than 75% of discretionary funding for HUD supports three programs: Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance (which funds Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers), Section 8 project-based rental assistance, and the Public Housing program. The House-passed bill ( H.R. Both bills would have provided less than was requested in the President's budget. The Senate Committee-passed bill ( S. 2438 ) included $1.9 billion for the capital fund, splitting the difference between FY2014 ($1.875 billion) and the President's request ($1.925 billion), and proposed to increase funding for the operating fund compared to FY2014, providing about $4.5 billion. The House-passed THUD appropriations bill included $25 million for Choice Neighborhoods, and the Senate Committee-passed bill would have maintained funding at the FY2014 level of $90 million. And for related programs see CRS Report R43520, Community Development Block Grants and Related Programs: A Primer , by [author name scrubbed].) 113-235

P.L.
In FY2015, the Department of Housing and Urban Development was funded as part of the FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 113-235), enacted on December 16, 2014, following funding through three short-term continuing resolutions. The bill provides $45.4 billion in gross discretionary appropriations, not accounting for savings from offsets and other sources, about $90 million less than in FY2014 ($45.5 billion). However, net budget authority is higher than in FY2014, approximately $35.6 billion in FY2015 compared to $32.8 billion in FY2014. Net budget authority takes into account rescissions and offsets from receipts and collections. The primary difference between FY2015 and FY2014 is that estimated receipts from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan insurance program dropped by about $3 billion.
For the most part, P.L. 113-235 funds HUD programs at approximately the same levels as FY2014. Exceptions include increased funding for Research and Technology (by nearly 57%), Housing for the Elderly and Housing for Persons with Disabilities (by 9% and 7%, respectively), Housing Counseling (by 4%), and the Homeless Assistance Grants (by not quite 1%). However, in most cases any increases would largely support renewals of existing assistance. Decreased funding includes Choice Neighborhoods (by 11%), HOME Investment Partnerships (by 10%), Project-Based Section 8 Rental Assistance (by 2%), and the Community Development Fund and Fair Housing activities (by 1% each).
Prior to enactment of P.L. 113-235, the President requested $46.7 billion in gross discretionary appropriations for HUD, about $1.2 billion more than the amount provided in FY2014. Net budget authority requested was $36.9 billion. While the President requested increased funding for some programs (for example, the Homeless Assistance Grants, Housing for the Elderly, and Housing for Persons with Disabilities), in most cases, funding for these programs would largely have supported renewals of existing rental assistance contracts. Programs proposed for decreased funding included the Community Development Block Grant program (more than 7%), and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (5%).
The House Appropriations Committee approved H.R. 4745, its version of the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill, on May 27, 2014. Two weeks later, on June 10, 2014, the full House approved the bill, with amendments, though none changed the total amount of funding the bill would have provided for HUD. The bill would have provided approximately $44.7 billion in gross appropriations, a decrease of about $800 million compared to FY2014 and about $2 billion compared to the President's budget request. After accounting for offsetting collections and receipts, H.R. 4745 would have provided $35.0 billion in net budget authority.
The Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of the THUD appropriations bill, S. 2438, on June 5, 2014. The bill would have provided about $1 billion more than the House-passed bill for both gross and net budget authority—$45.8 billion and $36.0 billion, respectively.
For FY2014 and FY2015 funding levels, see Table 2.