Next Thursday, July 14, the House Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to vote on its draft fiscal year (FY) 2012 funding bill.
Because this will be the first proposal from Congress, we need YOUR help to make sure it's as good as possible and includes $2.4 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants.
What You Can Do:
NOTE: Congressional office phone numbers can be found by dialing the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.
- Find out if your representative is on the HUD appropriations subcommittee. Click here to see a list of committee members.
- If so, call your representative's DC office and ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues. Use these sample talking points to request that his/her boss provide $2.4 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento programs in FY 2012.
- If not, call your representative's DC office and ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues. Use these sample talking points to request that his/her boss ask HUD appropriations committee leaders to provide $2.4 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento programs in FY 2012.
- Let us know which office(s) you contacted by emailing Kate Seif at cseif@naeh.org.
Are you participating in Capitol Hill Day at the Alliance's annual
conference next week? If so, the timing for this bill is PERFECT! The bill will be released during the conference. So, find out from your State Captain if a meeting has already been scheduled with your representatives. Then, as you contact congressional offices with the above request, mention that you will be in town next week and will be meeting with them (or request a meeting if one has not already been scheduled). Then, during the meeting, you can ask that your representatives work with you throughout the rest of the appropriations process to provide $2.4 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento programs. If you're not yet planning to participate in Capitol Hill Day but would like more information, contact Kate Seif at cseif@naeh.org.
Update on FY 2012 Appropriations Process and Timing
Congress is likely to make additional spending cuts in FY 2012. It is our job to make sure those cuts don't happen on the backs of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Congressional and Administration leaders are currently negotiating a major deficit reduction package, which is likely to include an overall cap on the amount of funding available to the appropriations committees for FY 2012.
The House is moving forward with its appropriations bills in the meantime. The House T-HUD appropriations subcommittee is set to vote on its funding bill on July 14, with the full House Appropriations Committee scheduled to consider the bill on July 26. However, the Senate is more likely to wait until a deal is reached on deficit reduction before advancing its appropriations bills much further.
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