Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies (THUD)
Appropriations for FY2021: In Brief
Updated October 2, 2020
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R46465

FY2021 THUD Appropriations: In Brief

he respective House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittees are charged with providing
T annual appropriations for the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and certain related agencies. This report describes
action on FY2021 annual appropriations for THUD, including detailed tables for each major
agency and a brief overview of selected issues.

Recent Developments
Because ful -year FY2021 appropriations were not enacted before the end of FY2020, a continuing resolution (CR)
was enacted on September 30, 2020. Contained in Division A of H.R. 8337, the CR funds government operations
at FY2020 levels through the earlier of enactment of full-year appropriations measures or December 11, 2020.
The law contains a limited number of anomalies, or exceptions, for THUD agencies, including provisions to

extend the availability of unobligated DOT BUILD grant funding from FY2017 and FY2018 (§169);

more than double the volume of guarantees of mortgage-backed securities Ginnie Mae can issue, in light of
increased mortgage demand tied to low interest rates (§170);

extend the availability of certain funding that would have otherwise expired in the Choice Neighborhoods
program (§171); and

al ow a higher rate of spending in the Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program to maintain rental
assistance and support an ongoing demonstration (§172).
FY2021 Budget Process
Appropriations for DOT, HUD, and the related agencies typical y funded in the THUD bil
happen in the context of the broader annual congressional appropriations process. That process
general y begins with the submission of the President’s budget request in February and the
adoption of the congressional spending limits (general y, in a budget resolution) that set the
overal level of spending for that fiscal year’s appropriations bil s.
The framework for budget enforcement under the congressional budget process has both statutory
and procedural elements. The statutory elements include limits on “defense” and “nondefense”
discretionary spending established by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25); THUD
appropriations are classified as nondefense spending. The procedural elements are primarily
associated with the budget resolution and limit both total discretionary spending available to the
Appropriations Committees (commonly referred to as “302(a) al ocations”) and spending under
the jurisdiction of each appropriations subcommittee (“302(b) subal ocations”). Certain spending,
such as that designed as for an “emergency requirement,” is effectively exempt from these limits
(this type of exemption is commonly referred to as a “cap adjustment”).1
On August 2, 2019, the FY2020 and FY2021 BCA spending limits were increased via the
enactment of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (BBA 2019; P.L. 116-37).2 The FY2021
nondefense limit ($626.5 bil ion) was 0.8% (+$5 bil ion) more than the FY2020 limit. In addition,
BBA 2019 provided procedures to establish the spending al ocations to the House and Senate
Appropriations Committees via statements submitted to the Congressional Record by the chairs

1 For further information, see CRS Report R45778, Exceptions to the Budget Control Act’s Discretionary Spending
Lim its.
2 For further information, see CRS Insight IN11148, The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019: Changes to the BCA and Debt
Lim it.
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of the House and Senate Budget Committees, without the adoption of a budget resolution.3
Among other requirements, these spending al ocations must be consistent with the levels
established by the statutory discretionary spending limits. These FY2021 committee-level
spending al ocations were submitted in the House on May 1, and in the Senate on May 4, 2020.4
General y, the next step in the appropriations process is for each of the Appropriations
Committees to adopt “subal ocations” from the total amount al ocated to them. These 302(b)
subal ocations provide a limit on current-year (e.g., FY2021) appropriations within each
subcommittee’s jurisdiction and incorporate any applicable scorekeeping adjustments made by
the Congressional Budget Office. The House Appropriations Committee adopted 302(b)
subal ocations for each of its 12 subcommittees on July 9.5 The House THUD discretionary
subal ocation for FY2021 was set at $75.924 bil ion, a 2.2% increase over the FY2020 enacted
level (excluding emergency funding). The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet adopted
its subal ocations. Revisions to subal ocations throughout the appropriations process are a
common practice to reflect actual action on appropriations bil s and changes in congressional
priorities. However, if the House and Senate take divergent approaches with regard to the topline
that each assumes for the THUD bil , complications may arise as the House and Senate seek to
resolve their differences on appropriations.
FY2021 THUD Appropriations Process
The President’s FY2021 budget request was submitted to Congress on February 10, 2020.
Following the President’s budget submission, appropriations decision-making has proceeded on
the basis of procedures and budgetary limits enacted in the BBA 2019 (discussed in “FY2021
Budget Process”). In addition, congressional action on FY2021 appropriations may be influenced
by the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A number of emergency
FY2020 supplemental discretionary appropriations measures have been enacted in response to the
pandemic; one, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-
136), increased available budgetary resources for DOT and HUD in FY2020. Further
supplemental appropriations may be considered during the FY2021 cycle. Table 1 tracks FY2021
THUD funding at the bil -title level.
President’s Budget
The Administration’s budget request would cut funding for THUD agencies by 20% (-$15
bil ion) from their FY2020 levels (regular discretionary appropriations, excluding supplemental
CARES Act funding). Under the President’s budget request, DOT discretionary funding would be
reduced by 13% (-$3 bil ion), HUD funding would be reduced by 24% (-$12 bil ion), and the
related agencies general y funded in the THUD bil would be reduced by 33% (-$122 mil ion)
(see Table 1).

3 Ibid. For a general discussion of budget enforcement mechanisms that may be adop ted in the absence of a budget
resolution, see CRS Report R44296, Deem ing Resolutions: Budget Enforcement in the Absence of a Budget Resolution .
4 “Publication of Budgetary Material,” Congressional Record, daily edition, Vol. 166, No. 82 (May 1, 2020), pp.
H1968-H1969. “ Budget Enforcement Levels for Fiscal Year 2021,” Congressional Record, daily edition, Vol. 166, No.
83 (May 4, 2020), pp. S2205-S2206.
5 House Appropriations Committee, “Appropriations Committee Approves FY2021 Subcommittee Allocations,” press
release, July 9, 2020, at https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/appropriations-committee-approves-fy-
2021-subcommittee-allocations. Revised allocations were subsequently reported on July 16, but no changes were made
to the T HUD subcommittee allocation in that amendment. See https://appropriations.house.gov/events/markups/fy-
2021-homeland-security-financial-services-and-general-government-appropriations.
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DOT’s discretionary funding reduction would be offset by a $4.9 bil ion increase in funding from
DOT trust funds (classified as mandatory funding that does not count against THUD
appropriation’s 302(b) limit), producing an overal increase of 2% (+$1.7 bil ion) for DOT;
among DOT agencies only Amtrak would experience a significant reduction in the President’s
budget, from $2 bil ion in FY2020 to $953 mil ion for FY2021.
The reductions in HUD funding would come from zeroing out a half-dozen programs, the largest
of which is the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and reducing funding
for many more programs. One independent agency, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation,
is also proposed for reductions in the President’s budget request.
CARES Act Pandemic Relief Funding
Following the declaration of a public health emergency related to the global pandemic of
COVID-19, Congress enacted a series of supplemental appropriations and relief measures in the
spring of FY2020. Division B of the CARES Act included $36.1 bil ion in additional FY2020
discretionary appropriations for DOT accounts and $12.4 bil ion in appropriations for HUD
accounts. The law designated these funds as being for an emergency requirement, meaning they
do not count toward enforceable spending limits.
House Action
The House Committee on Appropriations ordered reported its FY2021 THUD appropriations bil
on July 14, 2020, following subcommittee markup the week prior. H.R. 7616 included a $1.7
bil ion increase (+2.2%) in non-emergency discretionary funding relative to FY2020 THUD
annual appropriations (see Table 1). The largest discretionary dollar increase is directed to HUD
($1.5 bil ion), although the related agencies would receive the largest relative increase (+17%).
DOT’s discretionary funding would be essential y level, but its overal funding would increase by
24% ($21.1 bil ion), virtual y al of which would come from DOT’s trust funds and thus be
classified as mandatory spending. In addition to regular appropriations, the bil includes $75
bil ion in emergency funding for transportation and housing infrastructure improvements. The
total emergency discretionary appropriations proposed by the bil are nearly equal to the total
regular discretionary funding provided in the bil ($75 bil ion vs. $76 bil ion). Thus, the funding
in the House bil can be thought of as being divided into three categories: regular discretionary
funding ($75.9 bil ion), DOT mandatory funding ($82.3 bil ion), and emergency discretionary
funding ($75 bil ion).
On July 28, 2020, the House Rules Committee granted a rule for the House to consider H.R.
7617, a bil combining the text of several appropriations acts as reported by the House
Appropriations Committee. The Rules Committee included the text of H.R. 7616 as Division G of
H.R. 7617.6 The House passed H.R. 7617 on July 31, 2020, with adoption of a number of THUD-
related floor amendments. While some of the amendments moved money between accounts, they
did not change the total funding level for any agency in Division G.

6 House Committee on Rules, “Amendment Process Announcement for H.R. 7617—Defense, CJS, Energy and Water,
FSGG, Homeland, Labor-HHS, and T HUD Appropriations,” press release, July 20, 2020, at https://rules.house.gov/
news/announcement/amendment -process-announcement-hr-7617-defense-cjs-energy-and-water-fsgg-homeland.
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FY2021 THUD Appropriations: In Brief

Table 1. THUD Appropriations by Bill Title, FY2020-FY2021
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted

Title I: DOT
86,156
87,852
107,248

Discretionary
24,833
21,653
24,911

Mandatory
61,323
66,199
82,337

Title II: HUD
49,087
37,261
50,581

Title III: Other
370
248
432
Independent Agencies

Title IV: General
-20
-—
—
Provisions

Title V: Additional
—
—
75,000
Infrastructure Investments
(emergency)
Total Discretionary
74,270
59,162
75,924

(non-emergency)
Total Mandatory
61,323
66,199
82,332

Total (non-emergency)
135,593
125,362
158,256

Emergency Appropriations
48,508
—
75,000

Total (incl. emergency)
184,101
125,362
233,256

Source: Comparative Statement of Budget Authority, beginning on p. 192, in H.Rept. 116-452.
Notes: Totals may not add or exactly match source materials due to rounding. The totals include both
discretionary budget authority and contract authority (a type of mandatory budget authority provided to DOT
that is not included in the bil ’s discretionary budget authority figure).
Department of Transportation
The majority of DOT’s annual funding is established by two periodic authorization acts, one for
surface transportation programs and one for aviation programs. Most of the funding for the
programs in those acts is drawn from the DOT Highway Trust Fund and the Aviation and Airways
Trust Fund, respectively. Highway Trust Fund revenues come largely from fuel taxes and
increasingly from transfers from the general fund of the Treasury. Aviation and Airways Trust
Fund revenues come largely from taxes on passenger tickets and aviation fuel and some general
fund money. The current surface transportation authorizations run through FY2020, so the
FY2021 funding levels for DOT’s surface programs (highways, transit, and rail) have not been
set.
The appearance of COVID-19 in the United States in the spring of 2020 devastated the finances
of transportation agencies at every level of government. The initial lockdown of economic
activity in an effort to slow the spread of the virus greatly reduced highway travel, and travel
volume has remained below normal. This has resulted in a decrease in fuel tax revenues for the
states and the federal Highway Trust Fund. Aviation and transit usage has dropped to a fraction of
its usual level, as has the resulting passenger fare revenues (Congress has suspended the tax on
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aviation passenger tickets and fuel for the balance of 2020). This is due not only to the impact of
the pandemic on the economy, but also due to public concern about the risk of transmission of the
virus in the confined spaces of airplanes and transit vehicles. That concern may continue to
depress aviation and transit usage unless and until a vaccine is developed and is widely available.
The Administration’s budget request was developed prior to the identification of the pandemic in
the United States. Congress’s funding decisions are being made in light of the pandemic, and with
concerns to al eviate its impacts.
Administration Budget Request
The Administration’s budget requested a 2% (+$1.7 bil ion) increase in DOT funding. This
reflected relatively minor increases for most agencies, and relatively significant reductions to the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) (-29%, -$800 mil ion) and Maritime Administration
(MARAD) (-30%, -$310 mil ion) budgets. The major differences in the Administration’s request
compared to what Congress enacted in FY2020 included reductions to the following activities:
 Amtrak: requested $936 mil ion, down from $2.0 bil ion (FY2020);
 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants to airports: requested $3.35 bil ion,
down from $3.75 bil ion;
 FRA Federal-state Partnership for State of Good Repair: no funding requested,
down from $200 mil ion;
 MARAD Port infrastructure development program: no funding requested, down
from $225 mil ion.
The Administration requested $1 bil ion for a new grant program for national y significant freight
projects and $550 mil ion for a new grant program for rail (National Network Transformation; no
details provided).
H.R. 7616/7617
The House Appropriations Committee recommended, and the House approved, $107.2 bil ion for
DOT, a 24% (+$20 bil ion) increase over the FY2020 enacted amount of $86.156 bil ion (which
was virtual y the same as the FY2019 enacted amount). Every agency would receive an increase
compared to FY2020. The largest percentage increases would be for the Federal Transit
Administration (+46%, +$6.0 bil ion), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (+30%,
+$207 mil ion), the Federal Highway Administration (+28%, +$13.6 bil ion), and the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (+27%, +268 mil ion). The details of the recommended
funding can be found in Table 2.
The House bil also included additional emergency funding for DOT (and HUD) in a new Title V.
This title would provide an additional $25.7 bil ion in funding for DOT; see Table 7 for details.
In April 2020, the CARES Act provided an additional $36.1 bil ion in emergency FY2020
funding for several DOT programs and activities to assist with the economic costs of the
pandemic; see Table 3 for details.
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Table 2. Department of Transportation FY2020-FY2021 Detailed Budget Table
(dol ars in mil ions)
Department of Transportation
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Selected Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Office of the Secretary (OST)
National infrastructure investment
1,000
1,000
1,001a

(BUILD/TIGER)
Payments to air carriers (Essential Air
162
142
162

Service)b
National y significant freight projects
—
1,000
—

Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement
—
—
70

Financing Program loan modifications
Al other accounts
183
190
206a

Total, OST
1,345
2,332
1,438a

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Operations
10,630
11,002
11,052

Facilities & equipment
3,045
3,000
3,045

Research, engineering, & development
193
170
193

Grants-in-aid for airports (Airport
3,350
3,350
3,350

Improvement Program) (limitation on
obligations)
Airport Discretionary Grants
400
—
500

Total, FAA
17,618
17,522
18,139

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Federal-Aid Highways (limitation on
47,104
50,721
61,869

obligations + exempt contract authority)
Federal-Aid Highways: discretionary funding
2,166
—
1,000

Rescission of budget authority
—
-138
—

Total, FHWA
49,270
50,583
62,869

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Motor carrier safety operations and
288
299
380

programs
Motor carrier safety grants to states
391
403
506

Total, FMCSA
679
702
886

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Operations and research
349
317
385

Highway traffic safety grants to states
623
647
855

(limitation on obligations)
Impaired driving/highway-rail grade crossing
17
—
17

safety
Total, NHTSA
989
965
1,257

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Department of Transportation
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Selected Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Safety and Operations
224
226
236

Research and Development
41
41
41

Amtrak

Northeast Corridor grants
700
325
750

National Network
1,300
611
1,300

Subtotal, Amtrak grants
2,000
936
2,050

Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and
325
330
500

Safety Improvements
Federal-state Partnership for State of
200
—
200

Good Repair
Restoration and Enhancement grants
2
—
—

Magnetic Levitation Program
2
—
5

National Network Transformation Grants
—
550
—

Rescission
—
-92
—

Total, FRA
2,794
1,991
2,996

Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Administrative Expenses
117
121
121

Formula Grants (M)
10,150
11,046
15,945

Technical Assistance and Training
5
—
7

Capital Investment Grants (New Starts)
1,978
1,889
2,177a

Transit Infrastructure Grants
510
—
510

Transit Research
—
8
—

Washington Metropolitan Area
150
150
150

Transit Authority
Rescission
—
-2
—

Total, FTA
12,910
13,212
18,906

Maritime Administration (MARAD)
Maritime Security Program
300
314
314

Operations and training
153
138
161

State maritime academy operations
342
338
432

Assistance to smal shipyards
20
—
20

Ship disposal
5
4
5

Maritime Guaranteed Loan Program
3
—
3

Port infrastructure development program
225
—
300

Rescission
—
-55
—

Total, MARAD
1,048
738
1,245

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Department of Transportation
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Selected Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
Subtotal
253
248
261

Offsetting user fees
-145
-141
-150

Emergency preparedness grants (M)
28
28
28

Total, PHMSA
282
276
289

Office of Inspector General
95
98
98

Saint Lawrence Seaway Development
38
31
40

Corporation
DOT Totals
Appropriation (discretionary funding)
24,833
21,940
24,950

Limitations on obligations (M)
61,323
66,199
82,337

Subtotal—new funding
86,156
88,139
107,287

Rescissions
—
-287
-39

Net new discretionary funding
24,833
21,653
24,911

Net new budget authority
86,156
87,852
107,248

Supplemental Emergency Funding
36,085c
—
25,689

Net new budget authority
122,241
87,852
132,937

(incl. emergency)
Source: Comparative Statement of Budget Authority, pp. 187-212 in H.Rept. 116-452 accompanying H.R. 7616;
Division G of H.R. 7617 and floor amendments; and P.L. 116-136.
Notes: Totals may not add due to rounding.
a. Amount adjusted to reflect House floor amendments.
b. In addition to its appropriation, the Essential Air Service program receives funding from overflight fees. For
FY2020 and FY2021, those fees were estimated to provide an additional $150 mil ion to the program, but
due to the pandemic’s effects on aviation that amount wil be greatly reduced. The CARES Act included $56
mil ion for the Essential Air Service program.
c. Includes $25 bil ion in emergency funding for transit systems through the Federal Transit Administration and
$10 bil ion for airports through the Federal Aviation Administration provided by the CARES Act ( P.L. 116-
136).
Selected DOT Issues
Public Health While Traveling on Common Carriers
The House bil would require passengers and crew members on airlines, Amtrak trains, and transit
vehicles7 to wear a mask or protective face covering while on board.8

7 Limited to transit vehicles in urban areas of 500,000 people or more.
8 T itle IV, §421.
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FY2021 THUD Appropriations: In Brief

Infrastructure Funding
The House bil would provide an increase of roughly $14 bil ion for transportation infrastructure.9
The vast majority of that increase would go to the Federal Highway Administration, with smal er
increases for FAA, FRA, and MARAD. This figure does not include the $5.8 bil ion increase
recommended for the Federal Transit Administration’s formula grant programs. In the context of
transit agencies experiencing sudden declines in their revenues, the House bil would al ow transit
agencies to use their federal formula funding for operation and maintenance costs, as wel as
infrastructure investment, thus how much of that additional funding would be used for
infrastructure is not known.
Commercial Truck Safety
The congressional mandate10 for heavy trucks to be equipped with electronic logging devices
(ELDs) to track the time worked by drivers went into effect at the end of 2017.11 The purpose was
to improve safety by reducing violations of the federal hours-of-service limits (which limit the
amount of time a driver can drive each day and each week to reduce the risk of truckers driving
while fatigued). The limits were not changed when ELDs became mandatory; ELDs make it
harder for drivers to exceed the limits without detection. Objections from certain sectors of the
trucking industry have led Congress and the President to repeatedly bar enforcement of the ELD
mandate with respect to livestock haulers in the annual THUD appropriation act. This action has
been opposed by safety advocates. The House bil does not include the waiver for livestock
haulers.
CARES Act Supplemental Funding
Division B, Title XII of the CARES Act provided $36.1 bil ion in additional FY2020 funding for
several DOT programs and activities.12 Virtual y al of the funding went to airports and transit
agencies, entities whose revenues have dropped as usage of those modes has declined since the
beginning of the pandemic, both in response to the general curtailment of economic activity and
because of the public’s concern about risk of transmission of the disease inside airplanes and
transit vehicles.
Table 3. CARES Act Funding for DOT
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2020
Enacted
Account
(emergency)
FAA—Airport Improvement Program grants (to maintain operations at airports)
$10,000
FMCSA—Motor Carrier Safety and Operations
<1
FRA—Safety and Operations
<1

9 T his figure does not include the proposed supplemental funding in T itle V of the bill.
10 §32301(b) of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP–21), P.L. 112-141.
11 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, “Final Rule: Electronic Logging Devices,” 80 Federal Register 78292,
December 16, 2015, at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-12-16/pdf/2015-31336.pdf.
12 In addition to funding for DOT programs, Congress also provided assistance to the airline industry in the CARES
Act, including $32 billion to air carriers for support of employment and up to $46 billion in business loans and loan
guarantees.
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FY2020
Enacted
Account
(emergency)
FRA—Amtrak Northeast Corridor Grants
492
FRA—Amtrak National Network Grants (including funding to states to help them pay their share of
526
the cost of state-supported routes)
FTA—Transit Infrastructure grants (for operating and capital expenses, to be distributed by existing
25,000
formulas)
OST—Essential Air Services (to offset the reduction, due to canceled flights, in overflight fees that
56
help pay for the EAS program)
DOT Office of the Secretary—Administration
2
DOT IG
5
MARAD—Operations and Training
3
MARAD—State Maritime Academy Operations
1
Total
$36,085
Source: Division B, Title XII of P.L. 116-136.
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
As shown in Table 4, the President’s FY2021 budget request for HUD would result in a decrease
of $8.6 bil ion (-15%) in gross (regular, non-emergency) appropriations for HUD programs and
activities. (Because of an estimated increase in offsets in FY2021, net discretionary budget
authority—used for budget enforcement purposes—would see an even larger decline than gross
budget authority. However, gross appropriations is a better measure of the resources available to
HUD’s programs and activities.) Most of the proposed reduction in funding is attributable to
requests to eliminate funding for several HUD grant programs, although most other accounts
would also receive a funding reduction under the request.
Conversely, the House-passed bil proposes to increase HUD funding relative to FY2020 regular
appropriations. The bil would provide an increase of $4.8 bil ion (+8%) in gross appropriations
for HUD programs and activities. (Because of the estimated increase in offsets, the increase in net
budget authority is smal er ($1.5 bil ion; +3%.)
Table 4. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2020-FY2021
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Appropriations

Salaries and Expenses (Mgmt. & Adm.)
1,425
1,497
1,516a

Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Sec.
23,874
18,833b
25,739

8 Housing Choice Vouchers)
Voucher Renewals (non-add)
21,502
16,958b
22,852

Administrative Fees (non-add)
1,977
1,465b
2,155

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FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Incremental (new) Veterans Affairs
Supportive Housing (VASH)
40
0
20

vouchers (non-add)
Incremental (new) Family Unification
Program (FUP) vouchers (non-add)
25
0
25

Incremental (new) vouchers for
veterans and domestic violence
0
0
250

(non-add)
Rental Assistance Demonstration
0
100
0

Public Housing Capital Fund
2,870
0
3,183a

Public Housing Operating Fund
4,549
3,572c
4,649

Moving to Workd
-
5,185
0

Choice Neighborhoods
175
0
250

Self Sufficiency Programs
130
190
155

Native American Programs
825
600
840a

Native American Block Grants
(Formula) (non-add)
646
600
646

Native American Block Grants
(Competitive) (non-add)
100
0
110

Indian Community Development
70
0
75a

Block Grants (non-add)
Indian housing loan guarantee
2
2
2

Native Hawai an block grant
2
0
4

Housing, persons with AIDS
(HOPWA)
410
330
430

Community Development Fund
3,425
0
3,525

CDBG Formula Grants
3,400
0
3,500

SUPPORT for Patients and
Communities
25
0
25

HOME Investment Partnerships
1,350
0
1,700

Self-Help Homeownership (SHOP)
55e
0
60

Self-Help and Assisted
Homeownership Opportunity
10
0
10

Program (non-add)
Section 4 Capacity Building (non-
add)
36
0
45

Rural Capacity Building (non-add)
5
0
5

Homeless Assistance Grants
2,777
2,773
3,415

Project-Based Rental Assistance
12,570
12,642
13,451

(Sec. 8)
Contract Renewals
12,225
12,292
13,101

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FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Contract Administrators
345
350
350

Housing for the Elderly (Section 202)
793
853
893

Housing for Persons with Disabilities
(Section 811)
202
252
227

Housing Counseling Assistance
53
45
75

Manufactured Housing Fees Trust
Fundf
13
14
13

Rental Housing Assistance
3
0
0

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
Expensesf
130
130
131a

Government National Mortgage Assn.
32
31
57

(GNMA) Expensesf
Research and technology
98
95
118

Fair housing activities
70
65
80

Fair Housing Assistance Program
(non-add)
24
24
27

Fair Housing Initiatives Program
(non-add)
45
40
51

Office, lead hazard control
290
360
340

Information Technology Fund
280
258
293

Inspector General
138
133
146

Gross Appropriations Subtotal
56,540
47,960
61,291

Offsetting Collections and

Receipts
Manufactured Housing Fees Trust
Fund
-13
-14
-13

FHA
-6,251
-9,244
-9,244

GNMA
-1,182
-1,439
-1,439

Offsets Subtotal
-7,446
-10,697
-10,696

Rescissions

Section 238 Rental Housing Assistance
0
0
-14

Section 228 Native Hawai an
0
-2
0

Section 237 Rescission of Emergency
Fundsg
-7
0
0

Rescissions Subtotal
-7
-2
-14

Total Net Discretionary Budget
49,087
37,261
50,581

Authority

Emergency Funding
12,423h
-
49,012i

Total with Emergency Funding
61,510
37,261
99,592

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Source: HUD FY2021 Congressional Budget Justifications, Division G of H.R. 7617, H.Rept. 116-452, including
the Comparative Statement of Budget Authority, beginning on p. 192, and floor amendments.
Notes: Totals may not add due to rounding. Only selected set-asides are presented in this table. Figures include
advance appropriations available in the fiscal year, rather than provided in the bil .
a. Amount adjusted to reflect floor amendments.
b. The President’s budget requests that funding for a portion of the Housing Choice Voucher program—for
agencies participating in the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration—be provided in a new Moving to
Work account. Thus, the amount shown here is not ful y comparable to the FY2020 funding level. The
comparable figure, according to H.Rept. 116-452 , is $23,346 mil ion, including $21,131 mil ion for renewals
and $1,805 mil ion for administrative fees.
c. The President’s budget requests that funding for a portion of the public housing Operating Fund program—
for agencies participating in the MTW demonstration—be provided in a new Moving to Work account.
Thus, the amount shown here is not ful y comparable to the FY2020 funding level. The comparable figure,
according to H.Rept. 116-452, is $4,244 mil ion.
d. The President’s budget requests that funding for agencies participating in the MTW demonstration that is
normal y provided through the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and Operating Fund accounts instead be
provided through a new MTW account.
e. The FY2020 appropriation for the SHOP account also included $4 mil ion for pilot program to rehabilitate
the homes of disabled or low-income veterans.
f.
Some or al of the cost of funding these accounts is offset by the col ection of fees or other receipts. Those
offsets are shown later in this table.
g. The law included a rescission of emergency funding provided in prior years to HUD’s tenant-based and
project-based rental assistance accounts. The scoring of these savings was determined by the Congressional
Budget Office to not result in savings for purposes of discretionary spending limits. ( See the Congressional
Budget Office, Status of Discretionary Appropriations, House of Representatives, report dated January 29,
2020, Table 1, note h, available at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files?file=2020-02/FY2020-House-2020-1-
29.pdf). However, the Comparative Statements of Budget Authority used to prepare this report reflect the
rescission in prior year total. This table reflects the conventions of the source document used.
h. See Table 5 for account-level information on CARES Act COVID-19 relief funding for HUD.
i.
Title V of Division G of H.R. 7617 includes additional funding for infrastructure, designated as emergency
funding for budget enforcement purposes. See Table 7 for account-level information.
Selected HUD Issues
Grant Program Funding
The President’s budget request for FY2021 again included a proposal to eliminate funding for
several HUD grant programs that support various affordable housing and community
development activities. Among these are HUD’s two largest block grant programs for states and
localities, CDBG and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), as wel as competitive grants
funded in the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) account (i.e., funding for
sweat-equity programs, like Habitat for Humanity, and certain capacity-building programs).
Additional y, the budget proposes to eliminate funding for the public housing Capital Fund,
which provides formula grants for the repair and modernization of low -rent public housing
properties. HUD’s Congressional Budget Justifications state that the activities funded by these
grant programs should be devolved to the state and local levels.
These grant programs were also slated for elimination in the President’s FY2018, FY2019, and
FY2020 budget requests, although they were ultimately funded in each of those fiscal years. In
lieu of defunding these accounts, the House bil would increase funding for each relative to
FY2020 regular appropriations level (excluding CARES Act supplemental funding).
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FY2021 THUD Appropriations: In Brief

Rental Assistance Funding
Combined, HUD’s rental assistance programs (tenant-based rental assistance, public housing,
project-based rental assistance, and the Section 202 and Section 811 programs) serve roughly 4.7
mil ion low-income individuals and families. Through the various programs, the federal
government provides subsidies to al ow families to pay low, income-based rents, general y set at
30% of a family’s adjusted income.
The HUD Budget In Brief states that the requested funding for the various rental assistance
programs would be sufficient to continue to serve al currently assisted households.13 However,
the President’s budget documents assume savings from a set of rent reforms designed to increase
tenant rents and therefore reduce federal subsidies. These reforms have been proposed in each of
the last several budget requests, but have seen no legislative action in Congress.14
The report accompanying H.R. 7616 states that the committee rejects the President’s proposed
rent reforms and instead increases the funding levels for each of the rental assistance programs
sufficient to fully fund al existing subsidies. Additional y, the House bil would provide $295
mil ion for new, incremental vouchers for specific populations, including homeless veterans,
youth aging out of foster care, and survivors of domestic violence.
Policy Provisions
The House bil includes a number of General Provisions to block HUD’s implementation of
various administrative actions that have been considered controversial:
 Section 237 would block HUD’s implementation of a proposed rule to restrict the
eligibility of certain families composed of members with varied immigration
statuses from receiving housing assistance.15
 Section 235 would block HUD from revising or repealing HUD rules related to
equal access to housing based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 Section 236 would codify other HUD guidance related to transgender persons’
access to emergency shelters in accordance with gender identity.
 A new provision, added via floor amendment, would block the use of funding in
the bil to implement a HUD rule related to the disparate impact standard under
the Fair Housing Act.16
CARES Act Funding
Division B of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-
136) provided $12.4 bil ion in additional FY2020 funding for several HUD programs and
activities. The funds provided by the law are general y for one of three broad purposes: to provide
additional resources to meet emerging needs, to support existing rental assistance programs, or to
provide additional administrative capacity and oversight. Three-quarters of the funding can be
considered new resources to meet emerging needs, with most of the remaining funding supporting

13 HUD, FY2021 Budget In Brief, p. 4, available at https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/
BudgetinBrief_2020-02_06_Online.pdf.
14 See HUD FY2021 Congressional Budget Justifications, “Overview of Rental Assistance Programs,” at
https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/5_FY21CJ_OverviewofRentalAssistancePrograms.pdf.
15 For more information, see CRS Insight IN11121, HUD’s Proposal to End Assistance to Mixed Status Families.
16 Included as a part of a set of amendments considered en bloc via H.Amdt. 868.
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rental assistance programs. For more information on these funds and their use, see CRS Insight
IN11319, Funding for HUD in the CARES Act.
Table 5. CARES Act Funding for HUD
(dol ars in mil ions)
Accounts
FY2020 Enacted (emergency)
HUD Administrative Support Offices
35
HUD Program Offices
15
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Housing Choice Vouchers)
1,250
Administrative Fees
850
Housing Assistance Payments Adjustments
400
Public Housing Operating Fund
685
Native American Programs
300
Native American Housing Block Grant
200
Indian Community Development Block Grant
100
Housing for Persons with AIDS
65
Community Development Fund (CDBG)
5,000
Homeless Assistance Grants
4,000
Project-Based Rental Assistance (Project-based Section 8)
1,000
Housing for the Elderly (Section 202)
50
Housing for Persons with Disabilities (Section 811)
15
Fair Housing
3
Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG)
5
HUD Total
12,423
Source: Division B, Title XII of P.L. 116-136.
THUD Related Agencies
As shown in Table 6, most of the related agencies funded in the THUD bil would receive level
or increased funding relative to the prior year under the President’s FY2021 budget request. The
exception is the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, which would see a significant funding
decrease. Conversely, the House bil proposes to increase funding for this agency.
Table 6. THUD Independent Agencies, FY2020-FY2021
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Related Agencies
Enacted Request
House
Senate
Enacted
Access Board
9
9
9

Federal Maritime Commission
28
29
30

National Railroad Passenger Corporation
(Amtrak) Office of Inspector General
24
26
26

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FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Related Agencies
Enacted Request
House
Senate
Enacted
National Transportation Safety Board
110
116
118

Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
(NeighborWorks)
159
27
209

Surface Transportation Board
37
38
38

Offsetting Col ections
-1
-1
-1

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
4
4
4

Total
370
248
431

Emergency Funding

300a

Total with Emergency Funding
370
248
731

Source: FY2021 President’s budget materials, H.R. 7616, as incorporated into H.R. 7617, and H.Rept. 116-452,
including the Comparative Statement of Budget Authority, beginning on p. 192.
Notes: Totals may not add due to rounding.
a. Title V of Division G of H.R. 7617 includes additional funding for infrastructure, designated as emergency
funding for budget enforcement purposes. See Table 7 for account-level information.
Selected Independent Agencies Issues
NeighborWorks America
As in FY2018, FY2019 and FY2020, the President’s FY2021 budget included a request for
legislation to begin the process of winding down federal funding for the Neighborhood
Reinvestment Corporation (commonly known as NeighborWorks America), which was created
via federal charter in 1978 to support affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization
nationwide. The requested funding level of $27 mil ion was intended to cover personnel,
administrative, and other costs associated with winding down existing commitments. H.R. 7616
rejects this proposal and proposes to instead fund NeighborWorks at an increased level relative to
FY2020. Of the amount provided for NeighborWorks in the House bil , $25 mil ion would be for
competitive grants to support specified redevelopment activities in areas with high rates of
abandoned or distressed properties.
Emergency Funding for Transportation and
Housing Infrastructure
The House bil includes in the THUD division a new Title V—Additional Funding for
Infrastructure Investments. As shown in Table 7, it would provide $75 bil ion in additional
discretionary resources for various accounts at DOT and HUD, as wel as one related agency.
This funding, which nearly matches the total discretionary funding provided in the preceding
titles of the bil , would be designated as an “emergency requirement” for budget enforcement
purposes and would thus not count against the subcommittee spending limit (or 302(b)) or the
overal discretionary spending limits established under the BBA.
The addition of this emergency spending package proved controversial. The bil was ordered
reported by the committee on a party-line vote, with the ranking member stating: “Further, this
bil includes $75 bil ion in new emergency spending including components of the infrastructure
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FY2021 THUD Appropriations: In Brief

bil that was pushed through the House without Republican involvement. I did not support that
bil because it was a departure from years of bipartisan work on transportation and infrastructure
priorities and I can't support this additional spending until there’s a serious discussion with
members on our side of the aisle”17 A committee press release accompanying the bil ’s passage
quotes the chairwoman as stating: “The emergency funding in this bil is pivotal to kickstart a
strong and equitable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic collapse.
After an unprecedented year of chal enges, the investments in this bil lay the foundations for
sustained economic growth and expanded opportunity for every American in every corner of our
nation.”18
Table 7. H.R. 7617, Division G, Title V-Additional Infrastructure Investments, by
Account
(dol ars in mil ions)
Accounts
Emergency FY2021 Funding
DOT
National Infrastructure Investments (BUILD Grants)
3,000
Cyber Security Initiatives
11
FAA Facilities & Equipment
500
FAA Grants-in-Aid for Airports
2,500
FRA Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grants
5,000
FRA Magnetic Levitation Technology Deployment Program
100
FRA Northeast Corridor Grants to Amtrak
5,000
FRA National Network Grants to Amtrak
3,000
FTA Capital Investment Grants (New Starts)
5,000
MARAD Operations & Training
125
MARAD State Maritime Academy Operations
356
MARAD Assistance to Smal Shipyards
100
MARAD Port Infrastructure Development Program
1,000
DOT Inspector General Salaries and Expenses
8
DOT Total
25,689
HUD
Public Housing Capital Fund
24,250
Choice Neighborhoods
300
Native American Programs
1,000
Native Hawai an Housing Block Grant
20
Community Development Fund (CDBG)
4,000

17 CQ Congressional T ranscripts, “ House Appropriations Committee Holds Markup of Fiscal 2021 Defense,
Commerce-Justice-Science and T ransportation-HUD Appropriations,” Revised Final transcript, July 14, 2020,
available at https://plus.cq.com/doc/congressionaltranscripts-5957344?3.
18 House Committee on Appropriations, “Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2021 T ransportation-
Housing and Urban Development Funding Bill,” press release, July 14, 2020, at https://appropriations.house.gov/news/
press-releases/appropriations-committee-approves-fiscal-year-2021-transportation-housing-and; https://plus.cq.com/
doc/news-5955675?4.
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FY2021 THUD Appropriations: In Brief

HOME
17,500
SHOP/Capacity Building
55
Assisted Housing Investments/Project Based Rental Assistance
750
Housing for the Elderly
750
Housing for Persons with Disabilities
179
Lead Hazard Reduction
100
Cybersecurity and Information Technology Fund
100
HUD OIG
8
HUD Total
49,012
Related Agencies
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
300
Related Agencies Total
300
Title V Total (emergency)
75,000
Source: Comparative Statement of Budget Authority, beginning on p. 192, in H.Rept. 116-452.
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.

Author Information

Maggie McCarty
David Randall Peterman
Specialist in Housing Policy
Analyst in Transportation Policy

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
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Congressional Research Service
R46465 · VERSION 6 · UPDATED
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