Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations for FY2021




Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies (THUD)
Appropriations for FY2021

Updated June 17, 2021
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R46465




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Contents
FY2021 Budget Process ................................................................................................... 1
FY2021 THUD Appropriations Process .............................................................................. 3
President’s Budget ..................................................................................................... 3
CARES Act Pandemic Relief Funding ..................................................................... 3
House Action ............................................................................................................ 4
Senate Action............................................................................................................ 4
Final FY2021 Full-Year Appropriations ........................................................................ 5
Department of Transportation............................................................................................ 6
Administration Budget Request ................................................................................... 7
H.R. 7616/H.R. 7617 ................................................................................................. 7

Selected DOT Issues ................................................................................................ 11
Authorization of Surface Transportation Programs................................................... 11
Public Health While Traveling on Common Carriers................................................ 11
Infrastructure Funding......................................................................................... 11
Commercial Truck Safety .................................................................................... 11

Department of Housing and Urban Development ............................................................... 12
Selected HUD Issues................................................................................................ 16
Grant Program Funding ....................................................................................... 16
Rental Assistance Funding ................................................................................... 16

Policy Provisions ............................................................................................... 17
THUD Related Agencies ................................................................................................ 17
Selected Related Agencies Issues ............................................................................... 18
NeighborWorks America ..................................................................................... 18
Emergency Funding for Transportation and Housing Infrastructure ....................................... 19

Tables
Table 1. FY2021 THUD 302(b) Subal ocations in Context .................................................... 2
Table 2. THUD Appropriations by Bill Title, FY2020-FY2021............................................... 5
Table 3. Department of Transportation FY2020-FY2021 Detailed Budget Table ....................... 8
Table 4. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2020-FY2021 .......................... 12
Table 5. THUD Independent Agencies, FY2020-FY2021 .................................................... 18
Table 6. Proposed H.R. 7617, Division G, Title V-Additional Infrastructure Investments,
(not enacted).............................................................................................................. 20

Table A-1. FY2021 Additional Pandemic Relief Funding for THUD Agencies ........................ 22

Appendixes
Appendix. Pandemic Relief Funding for Housing and Transportation Programs in
FY2021 .................................................................................................................... 22

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Contacts
Author Information ....................................................................................................... 25

Congressional Research Service

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

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. An appendix lists the FY2021 funding provided to
THUD agencies outside of the regular THUD appropriations act.
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
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. Revisions to subal ocations throughout the appropriations

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
.
3 Ibid. For a general discussion of budget enforcement mechanisms that may be adopted 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.
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process are a common practice to reflect actual action on appropriations bil s and changes in
congressional priorities.
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 did not adopt formal subal ocations, although it released
draft subal ocations along with a majority draft THUD bil and explanatory text on November
10.6 The Senate majority committee draft THUD subal ocation was set at $74.838 bil ion, which
was slightly higher than FY2020 (0.8%) and lower than the House (-1.4%).
The final FY2021 funding level for THUD provided by Division L of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, FY2021 (P.L. 116-260) was $75.376 bil ion, which is between the higher
House and lower Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft levels; however $718 mil ion
of that amount was designated as “emergency” and therefore did not count against discretionary
spending limits. Thus, the cap-constrained total for THUD in FY2021 was $74.658 bil ion, which
is lower than both the House and Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft subal ocations.
Table 1. FY2021 THUD 302(b) Suballocations in Context
in bil ions
House
FY2020
President’s
FY2021
Senate Appropriations
FY2021
Enacted
FY2021 Request
302(b)
Com m ittee Draft FY2021 302(b)
Enacted

THUD
$74.277a
$59.162
$75.924
$74.838
$74.658b
Totals
Source: FY2020 enacted from CBO Status of Discretionary Appropriations, FY2020, https://www.cbo.gov/
system/files?file=2020-05/FY2020-House-2020-4-24.pdf; President’s FY2021 Request taken from Comparative
Statement of Budget Authority, beginning on p. 192 in H.Rept. 116-452; House FY2021 302(b) from House
Appropriations Committee, “Appropriations Committee Approves FY2021 Subcommittee Al ocations,” press
release, July 9, 2020, at https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/appropriations-committee-
approves-fy-2021-subcommittee-al ocations; Senate Draft from linked 302(b) subal ocations in the Senate
Appropriations Committee majority press release, “Committee Releases FY21 Bil s in Effort to Advance Process,
Produce Bipartisan Results,” November 10, 2020, https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/download/fy21-senate-
302b-al ocations; FY2021 enacted taken from “CBO Estimate for the House Amendment to the Senate
Amendment to H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Rules Committee Print 116 -68, as Posted
on the House Committee on Rules Website https://rules.house.gov/bil /116/hr-133-sa), December 21, 2020.”
a. The FY2020 appropriations 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). The CBO total is reflected in this table. However, the
Comparative Statements of Budget Authority released by the Appropriations Committees and used for the

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.
6 See linked 302(b) suballocations in the Senate Appropriations Committee majority pr ess release, “Committee
Releases FY21 Bills in Effort to Advance Process, Produce Bipartisan Results,” November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/committee-releases-fy21-bills-in-effort-to-advance-process-produce-
bipartisan-results.
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remainder of this report reflect the rescission in the FY2020 total, and thus totals shown later in this report
may be $7 mil ion lower than the amount shown here.
b. An additional $718 mil ion provided for THUD by P.L. 116-261 was deemed an emergency requirement and
is thus excluded for purposes of calculating the total subject to discretionary spending limits under the BCA,
as amended and is not shown in this table.
FY2021 THUD Appropriations Process
President Trump’s FY2021 budget request was submitted to Congress on February 10, 2020.
Following the President’s budget submission, appropriations decisionmaking proceeded on the
basis of procedures and budgetary limits enacted in the BBA 2019 (discussed in “FY2021 Budget
Process
”), culminating with enactment of the FY2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-
260). The steps in that process are briefly reviewed below.
In addition, congressional action on FY2021 appropriations was influenced by the ongoing
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A number of emergency FY2020
supplemental discretionary appropriations measures were 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. The FY2021
Consolidated Appropriations Act also provided supplemental coronavirus relief funding,
including $27 bil ion for DOT in FY2021. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2)
appropriated an additional $54 bil ion in mandatory COVID-19 relief and response via programs
and activities typical y funded in the THUD appropriations bil .
Table 2 tracks FY2021 THUD funding at the bil title level; supplemental and additional
appropriations are included at the end of the table.
President’s Budget
The Trump Administration’s FY2021 budget request proposed cutting 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 have been reduced by 13% (-$3 bil ion), HUD funding would have
been reduced by 24% (-$12 bil ion), and the related agencies general y funded in the THUD bil
would have been reduced by 33% (-$122 mil ion) (see Table 2).
DOT’s discretionary funding reduction was to 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 have experienced a significant reduction under the
President’s budget, from $2 bil ion in FY2020 to $953 mil ion for FY2021.
The reductions in HUD funding were proposed to come from zeroing out a half-dozen
programs—including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program—and
reducing funding for many more programs. One related agency, the Neighborhood Reinvestment
Corporation, was 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 COVID-19 global
pandemic, Congress enacted a series of supplemental appropriations and relief measures in the
spring of 2020. Division B of the CARES Act included $36.1 bil ion in additional FY2020
discretionary appropriations for DOT accounts and $12.4 bil ion for HUD accounts. The law
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designated these funds as being for an emergency requirement, meaning they did not count
toward enforceable spending limits. While the act provided FY2020 funding, it was debated and
enacted subsequent to the release of the FY2021 President’s Budget and thus may have served to
influence the FY2021 appropriations process.
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 proposed a $1.7
bil ion increase (+2.2%) in non-emergency discretionary funding relative to FY2020 THUD
annual appropriations (see Table 2). The largest discretionary dollar increase was directed to
HUD ($1.5 bil ion), although the related agencies would have received the largest relative
increase (+17%). DOT’s discretionary funding was proposed to be essential y level, but its
overal funding would have increased 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 included $75 bil ion in emergency funding for transportation and housing
infrastructure improvements. The total emergency discretionary appropriations proposed by the
bil was 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. 7617.7 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.
Senate Action
Although formal Senate Appropriations Committee action on the FY2021 THUD bil did not
occur, the chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Richard Shelby, released
drafts of al 12 annual appropriations bil s along with draft accompanying committee reports on
November 10, 2020.8
The majority draft proposed $74.8 bil ion in discretionary funding for THUD, which is a 0.8%
increase over FY2020. Unlike the House-passed legislation, the Senate Appropriations
Committee majority draft included no emergency funding.

7 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.
8 See linked draft bill and report language text in the Senate Appropriations Committee majority press release,
“Committee Releases FY21 Bills in Effort to Advance Process, Produce Bipartisan Results,” November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/committee-releases-fy21-bills-in-effort-to-advance-process-produce-
bipartisan-results.
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Final FY2021 Full-Year Appropriations
Following a series of continuing resolutions,9 final full-year FY2021 appropriations were enacted
as a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which was signed into law on December
27, 2020. The law contained al 12 regular appropriations bil s as wel as supplemental
coronavirus funding and other provisions.
Funding for THUD (in Division L) totaled $75.376 bil ion, which is 1% less than what was
proposed by the House, but 1% more than was included in the Senate Appropriations Committee
majority draft legislation. However, $718 mil ion of that total amount was designated
“emergency,” which effectively reduced the cap-constrained total for THUD to $74.658 bil ion.
In addition, Division M appropriated $27 bil ion in emergency funding to DOT for various
coronavirus relief needs.
Separately, the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2), passed in March 2021, provided an
additional $54 bil ion in mandatory funding for COVID-19 relief and recovery to accounts
typical y funded in the THUD bil . (This funding was provided in a reconciliation bil , rather than
through the regular appropriations process, and is thus not discussed in the remainder of this
report, but is instead addressed in an appendix at the end.)
Table 2. THUD Appropriations by Bill Title, FY2020-FY2021
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
Senate
FY2021

FY2020 Enacted
Request
House
Comm.
Enacted
Majority
Draft
Title I: DOT
86,156
87,852
107,243
87,009
86,709
Discretionary
24,833
21,653
24,911
25,674
25,317
Mandatory
61,323
66,199
82,332
61,336
61,392
Title II: HUD
49,087
37,261
50,581
48,782
49,648a
Title III: Other Independent
370
248
432
382
388
Agencies
Title IV: General Provisions
-20



23b
Title V: Additional
Infrastructure Investments


75,000


(Emergency)
Total Discretionary
74,270
59,162
75,924
74,838
75,376
Total Discretionary
Subject to Caps
(excluding emergency

74,270
59,162
75,924
74,838
74,658c
designated funding)
Total Mandatory
61,323
66,199
82,332
61,336
61,392

9 Five Continuing Resolutions were enacted maintaining FY2020 spending levels for all federal agencies, including
those typically funded by T HUD, through December 28, 2020 . See P.L. 116-159; P.L. 116-215; P.L. 116-225; P.L.
116-226; P.L. 116-246.
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Total
135,593
125,362
158,256
136,174
136,768
Supplemental Emergency
Appropriations (discretionary)

48,508

75,000

27,718d
Additional Appropriations




54,040e
(mandatory)
Source: Comparative Statement of Budget Authority, beginning on p. 192 in H.Rept. 116-452, draft committee
report released by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Shelby on November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/THUDR ept.pdf; Division L of P.L. 116-260 and
accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement, including Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority tables,
published in the December 21, 2020 Congressional Record, Book IV; and P.L. 117-2.
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).
a. Of this amount, $695 mil ion for the tenant-based rental assistance account is designated as being for an
emergency requirement by Section 420 of Division L.
b. This amount for Essential Air Services at DOT was provided in Section 421 of Division L, instead of Title I,
and was designated as being for an emergency requirement.
c. As noted in Table Notes a and b, $718 mil ion of the total provided for THUD was deemed an emergency
requirement and is thus excluded from the total for purposes of calculating the total subject to
discretionary spending limits under the BCA, as amended.
d. Of this amount, $27 bil ion is for coronavirus-related supplemental emergency funding for DOT provided in
Division M of P.L. 116-260. See Table A-1 for more information. The remaining $718 mil ion is designated
“emergency” for budget enforcement purposes, as described in Table Notes a-c, but is not related to
COVID-19.
e. The American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2) appropriated $54.040 bil ion in additional mandatory funding for
COVID-related relief and response to programs and accounts typical y funded in the THUD appropriations
bil . See Table A-1 for more information.
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 appearance of COVID-19 in the United States in spring 2020 devastated the finances of
airlines and transit agencies. Aviation and transit usage dropped to a fraction of its usual level, as
did passenger fare revenues. This was 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.
The Administration’s budget request was developed prior to the identification of the pandemic in
the United States. The House bil , passed in summer 2020, just a few months after the appearance
of the pandemic in the United States, includes several provisions to help al eviate the impacts of
the pandemic on transportation; the Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft bil was
published in November 2020, subsequent to an agreement between the House and Senate to
provide pandemic relief in separate legislation, and contained no references to pandemic relief.
Congress provided pandemic relief in separate legislation (see Appendix).
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Administration Budget Request
The Administration’s FY2021 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/H.R. 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 have received an
increase compared to FY2020. The largest percentage increases would have been 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 3.
The House bil also included additional emergency funding for DOT (and HUD) in a new Title V.
This title would have provided an additional $25.7 bil ion in funding for DOT.
The Senate Appropriations Committee did not report out a bil . The committee released a draft
approved by the majority of the Committee. The Committee majority draft bil proposed a 1%
($932 mil ion) increase for DOT relative to FY2020, $20.2 bil ion less than the House bil , and
did not provide any emergency funding (the House and Senate committee chairmen argued that
emergency aid should be provided in a separate bil from the regular appropriations bil ).
The final FY2021 full-year appropriations law provided $86.76 bil ion in regular new budget
authority for DOT’s programs and activities, an increase of less than 1% ($553 mil ion) over the
comparable figure for FY2020 (see Table 3 for details).
A separate division of the Omnibus Appropriations Act provided an additional $27 bil ion in
emergency funding for grants to transit, highway, and airport programs, and the subsequent
passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2, enacted March 11, 2021) provided
another $43.2 bil ion in emergency funding to DOT, mostly for grants to transit agencies and
airports (the transportation sectors hit hardest by the pandemic). See Appendix for details.
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Table 3. Department of Transportation FY2020-FY2021 Detailed Budget Table
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2021
Senate
Comm.
Department of Transportation
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Selected Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Office of the Secretary (OST)
National infrastructure investment
1,000
1,000
1,001a
1,000
1,000
(BUILD/TIGER)
Payments to air carriers (Essential Air
162
142
162
142
142
Service)b
National y significant freight projects

1,000



Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement


70


Financing Program loan modifications
Transportation Demonstration Program




100
Al other accounts
183
190
206a


Total, OST
1,345
2,332
1,438a
1,434
1,443
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Operations
10,630
11,002
11,052
11,002
11,002
Facilities & equipment
3,045
3,000
3,045
3,012
3,015
Research, engineering, & development
193
170
193
190
198
Grants-in-aid for airports (Airport
3,350
3,350
3,350
3,350
3,350
Improvement Program) (limitation on
obligations)
Airport Discretionary Grants
400

500
400
400
Total, FAA
17,618
17,522
18,139
17,954
17,965
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Federal-Aid Highways (limitation on
47,104
50,721
61,869
47,104
47,104
obligations + exempt contract authority)
Federal-Aid Highways: discretionary funding
2,166

1,000
2,365
2,000
Rescission of budget authority

-138



Total, FHWA
49,270
50,583
62,869
49,469
49,104
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Motor carrier safety operations and
288
299
380
301
328
programs
Motor carrier safety grants to states
391
403
506
391
390
Total, FMCSA
679
702
886
692
748
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Operations and research
349
317
385
349
349
Highway traffic safety grants to states
623
647
855
623
623
(limitation on obligations)
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FY2021
Senate
Comm.
Department of Transportation
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Selected Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Impaired driving/highway-rail grade crossing
17

17

17
safety
Total, NHTSA
989
965
1,257
972
989
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Safety and Operations
224
226
236
234
235
Railroad Research and Development
41
41
41
41
41
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and
325
330
500
340
375
Safety Improvements
Federal-state Partnership for State of
200

200
225
200
Good Repair
Restoration and Enhancement grants
2


3
5
Magnetic Levitation Program
2

5

2
National Network Transformation Grants

550



Amtrak





Northeast Corridor grants
700
325
750
680
700
National Network
1,300
611
1,300
1,320
1,300
Subtotal, Amtrak grants
2,000
936
2,050
2,000
2,000
Rescission

-92


-37
Total, FRA
2,794
1,991
2,996
2,842
2,821
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Administrative Expenses
117
121
121
121
121
Formula Grants (M)
10,150
11,046
15,945
10,150
10,150
Technical Assistance and Training
5

7
5
8
Capital Investment Grants (New Starts)
1,978
1,889
2,177a
1,889
2,014
Transit Infrastructure Grants
510

510
702
516
Transit Research

8



Washington Metropolitan Area
150
150
150
150
150
Transit Authority
Rescission

-2


-2
Total, FTA
12,910
13,212
18,906
13,017
12,957
Maritime Administration (MARAD)
Maritime Security Program
300
314
314
304
314
Cable Security Fleet



10
10
Operations and Training
153
138
161
153
156
State Maritime Academy Operations
342
338
432
433
433
Assistance to Smal Shipyards
20

20
20
20
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FY2021
Senate
Comm.
Department of Transportation
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Selected Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Ship Disposal
5
4
5
4
4
Maritime Guaranteed Loan Program
3

3
3
3
Port Infrastructure Development Program
225

300
200
230
Rescission

-55



Total, MARAD
1,048
738
1,245
1,126
1,170
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
Subtotal
253
248
261
258
260
Offsetting user fees
-145
-141
-150
-145
-145
Emergency preparedness grants (M)
28
28
28
28
28
Total, PHMSA
282
276
289
286
288
Office of Inspector General
95
98
98
98
98
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development
38
31
40
31
38
Corporation
DOT Totals
Appropriation (discretionary funding)
24,833
21,940
24,950
25,674
25,696
Limitations on obligations (M)
61,323
66,199
82,337
61,336
61,392
Subtotal—new funding
86,156
88,139
107,287
87,009
87,088
Rescissions

-287
-39

-379
Net new discretionary funding
24,833
21,653
24,911
25,674
25,317
Net new budget authority
86,156
87,852
107,248
87,009
86,709
Supplemental emergency funding
36,085c

25,689

27,000d
Additional appropriations (mandatory)




43,170e
Net new budget authority
122,241
87,852
132,937
87,009
156,879
(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; P.L. 116-136; and draft committee report released by Senate
Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Shelby on November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/THUDR ept.pdf ; Division L of P.L. 116-260 and
accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement, including Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority tables,
published in the December 21, 2020 Congressional Record, Book IV; and P.L. 117-2.
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).
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d. Provided in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (Division M of
P.L. 116-260).
e. Provided in Title VII of the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2) to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to
coronavirus.” This legislation was enacted through the budget reconciliation process; as a result, funding
provided in this act is classified as mandatory spending, and does not appear in accounts showing
discretionary appropriations.
Selected DOT Issues
Authorization of Surface Transportation Programs
The funding authorizations10 for the federal highway, transit, and passenger rail programs were
scheduled to expire at the end of FY2020, but Congress enacted legislation extending the FY2020
authorization levels through FY2021.11
Public Health While Traveling on Common Carriers
The House bil would have required passengers and crew members on airlines, Amtrak trains, and
transit vehicles12 to wear a mask or protective face covering while on board.13 The Senate
Appropriations Committee majority draft bil did not have a similar provision, nor did the enacted
bil .14
Infrastructure Funding
The House bil would have provided an increase of roughly $20 bil ion for transportation
infrastructure.15 Virtual y al of that increase would have gone to the Federal Highway
Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, with smal increases for FAA, FRA, and
MARAD. The Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft bil , with a proposed DOT total
appropriation of less than $1 bil ion over the comparable FY2020 figure, proposed infrastructure
funding roughly similar to the FY2020 figures. The enacted bil also provided infrastructure
funding roughly similar to FY2020.
Commercial Truck Safety
The congressional mandate16 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 2017.17 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

10 T he authorizations were included in the Fixing American’s Surface T ransportation (FAST ) Act, P.L. 114-94.
11 Division B of P.L. 116-159.
12 Limited to transit vehicles in urban areas of 500,000 people or more.
13 T itle IV, §421.
14 President Biden signed Executive Order 13998 (“Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International
T ravel”), which requires masks to be worn in travel by air, train, ferry, bus, and other forms of public transportation, on
January 21, 2021. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/26/2021-01859/promoting-covid-19-safety-in-
domestic-and-international-travel.
15 T his figure does not include the proposed supplemental funding in T itle V of the bill.
16 §32301(b) of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP–21), P.L. 112-141.
17 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.
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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 Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft bil
included the waiver for livestock haulers;18 the House bil did not. The enacted bil included the
waiver in Section 132.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
As shown in Table 4, the President’s FY2021 budget request for HUD proposed a decrease of
$8.6 bil ion (-15%) in gross (regular, non-emergency) appropriations for HUD programs and
activities relative to FY2020. (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 were also proposed for a funding reduction under the request.
Conversely, the House-passed bil proposed to increase FY2021 funding for HUD relative to
FY2020 regular appropriations. The bil included 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%.) Similarly, the Senate
Appropriations Committee majority draft bil proposed an increase in gross appropriations for
HUD relative to FY2020, but a smal er increase than the House (+$2.9 bil ion; +5%).
The final FY2021 full year appropriations law provided $60.3 bil ion in gross new appropriations
for HUD’s programs and activities, an increase of $3.8 bil ion (+7%) over FY2020. Of that total,
$696 mil ion was designated as an emergency requirement and thus did not count as a part of the
net budget authority total used for scorekeeping against discretionary spending limits.
Table 4. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2020-FY2021
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2021
Senate
Comm.
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted





Appropriations
Salaries and Expenses (Mgmt. & Adm.)
1,425
1,497
1,516a
1,498
1,499
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Sec.
23,874
18,833b
25,739
25,516
25,777c
8 Housing Choice Vouchers)
Voucher Renewals (non-add)
21,502
16,958b
22,852
22,891
23,080
Administrative Fees (non-add)
1,977
1,465b
2,155
2,160
2,159
Incremental (new) Veterans Affairs
40
0
20
40
40
Supportive Housing (VASH)
vouchers (non-add)


18 In Section 131.
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FY2021
Senate
Comm.
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Incremental (new) Family Unification
25
0
25
25
25
Program (FUP) vouchers (non-add)
Other incremental (new) vouchersd
0
0
250
0
43
(non-add)
Rental Assistance Demonstration
0
100
0
0
0
Public Housing Capital Fund
2,870
0
3,183a
—e
—e
Public Housing Operating Fund
4,549
3,572f
4,649
—e
—e
Public Housing Funde



7,440e
7,806e
Moving to Workg

5,185
0
0
0
Choice Neighborhoods
175
0
250
100
200
Self Sufficiency Programs
130
190
155
155
155
Native American Programs
825
600
840a
825
825
Native American Block Grants
646
600
646
647
647
(Formula) (non-add)
Native American Block Grants
100
0
110
100
100
(Competitive) (non-add)
Indian Community Development
70
0
75a
70
70
Block Grants (non-add)
Indian housing loan guarantee
2
2
2
2
2
Native Hawai an block grant
2
0
4
2
2
Housing, persons with AIDS
410
330
430
410
430
(HOPWA)
Community Development Fund
3,425
0
3,525
3,455
3,475
CDBG Formula Grants
3,400
0
3,500
3,425
3,450
SUPPORT for Patients and
25
0
25
30
25
Communities
HOME Investment Partnerships
1,350
0
1,700
1,375
1,350
Self-Help Homeownership (SHOP)
55h
0
60
60h
60h
Self-Help and Assisted
10
0
10
10
10
Homeownership Opportunity
Program (non-add)

Section 4 Capacity Building (non-
36
0
45
40
41
add)
Rural Capacity Building (non-add)
5
0
5
5
5
Homeless Assistance Grants
2,777
2,773
3,415
2,951
3,000
Project-Based Rental Assistance
12,570
12,642
13,451
13,403
13,465
(Sec. 8)
Contract Renewals
12,225
12,292
13,101
13,053
13,115
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FY2021
Senate
Comm.
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Contract Administrators
345
350
350
350
350
Housing for the Elderly (Section 202)
793
853
893
853
855
Housing for Persons with Disabilities
202
252
227
237
227
(Section 811)
Housing Counseling Assistance
53
45
75
53
78
Manufactured Housing Fees Trust
13
14
13
14
13
Fundi
Rental Housing Assistance
3
0
0
0
0
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
130
130
131a
130
130
Expensesi
Government National Mortgage Assn.
32
31
57
34
35
(GNMA) Expensesi
Research and technology
98
95
118
98
105
Fair housing activities
70
65
80
70
73
Fair Housing Assistance Program
24
24
27
24
24
(non-add)
Fair Housing Initiatives Program
45
40
51
45
46
(non-add)
Office, lead hazard control
290
360
340
360
360
Information Technology Fund
280
258
293
300
300
Inspector General
138
133
146
138
137
Gross Appropriations Subtotal
56,540
47,960
61,291
59,479
60,358





Offsetting Collections and
Receipts

Manufactured Housing Fees Trust
-13
-14
-13
-14
-13
Fund
FHA
-6,251
-9,244
-9,244
-9,244
-9,244
GNMA
-1,182
-1,439
-1,439
-1,439
-1,439
Offsets Subtotal
-7,446
-10,697
-10,696
-10,697
-10,696





Rescissions
Section 238 Rental Housing Assistance


-14

-14
Section 228 Native Hawai an

-2



Section 237 Rescission of Emergency
-7j




Funds
Rescissions Subtotal
-7
-2
-14
0
-14
Total Net Discretionary Budget
49,087j
37,261
50,581
48,782
49,648c
Authority
Emergency Discretionary Funding
12,423k
0
49,012l
0
0
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FY2021
Senate
Comm.
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Accounts
Enacted
Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Additional Mandatory Funding




10,770m
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; draft committee
report released by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Shelby on November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/THUDR ept.pdf; Division L of P.L. 116-260 and
accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement, including Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority tables,
published in the December 21, 2020 Congressional Record, Book IV; and P.L. 117-2.
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 requested 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 voucher
renewal needs and $1,805 mil ion for administrative fees.
c. Of this amount, $695 mil ion is designated as being for an emergency requirement by Section 420.
d. Incremental vouchers for people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, including
veterans and people fleeing domestic violence.
e. A new account structure for funding the public housing program was proposed in the Senate majority
committee draft and adopted in the final FY2021 appropriations law. A new Public Housing Fund account
replaces the previous separate Capital Fund and Operating Fund accounts. The Senate Appropriations
Committee majority draft report directed that $4.492 bil ion of the total amount in the new account be
directed for operating grants, previously funded in the operating fund account, and that $2.765 bil ion be
directed for capital grants and other activities typical y funded in the capital fund account. The final FY2021
appropriations law directed $4.839 bil ion of the total amount in the new account for operating grants
previously funded in the operating fund account and that $2.967 bil ion be directed for activities historical y
funded within the capital fund account.
f.
The President’s budget requested 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.
g. The President’s budget requested 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.
h. The FY2020 appropriation for the SHOP account included $4 mil ion for a pilot program to rehabilitate the
homes of disabled or low-income veterans. That set-aside was continued in the Senate Appropriations
Committee majority draft bil as wel as the final FY2021 appropriations law.
i.
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.
j.
The FY2020 appropriations 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 the FY2020 HUD total. This table reflects the
conventions of the source document used.
k. See CRS Insight IN11319, Funding for HUD in the CARES Act account-level information on CARES Act
COVID-19 relief funding for HUD.
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l.
Title V of Division G of H.R. 7617 proposed additional funding for infrastructure, designated as emergency
funding for budget enforcement purposes. See Table 6 for account-level information.
m. P.L. 117-2 provided $10.770 bil ion in additional mandatory funding for HUD programs for COVID-19
response and relief purposes. See Table A-1 for more 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 proposed eliminating 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 , the Senate Appropriations Committee majority
draft bil , and the final FY2021 full year appropriations law included either level or increased
funding relative to FY2020 regular appropriations level (excluding CARES Act supplemental
funding).
Rental Assistance Funding
Combined, HUD’s rental assistance programs (tenant-based rental assistance via the Housing
Choice Voucher program, public housing, Section 8 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 income.
The HUD Budget In Brief stated that the requested funding for the various rental assistance
programs would be sufficient to continue to serve al currently assisted households.19 However,
the President’s budget documents assumed savings from a set of rent reforms designed to increase
tenant rents and therefore reduce federal subsidies. These reforms were proposed in each of the
previous several budget requests, but saw no legislative action in Congress.20
The report accompanying H.R. 7616 stated that the committee rejected the President’s proposed
rent reforms and instead increased the funding levels for each of the rental assistance programs
sufficient to fully fund al existing subsidies. Additional y, the House bil proposed $295 mil ion
for new, incremental Housing Choice Vouchers for specific populations, including homeless
veterans, youth aging out of foster care, and survivors of domestic violence.

19 HUD, FY2021 Budget In Brief, p. 4, available at https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/
BudgetinBrief_2020-02_06_Online.pdf.
20 See HUD FY2021 Congressional Budget Justifications, “Overview of Rental Assistance Programs,” at
https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/5_FY21CJ_OverviewofRentalAssistancePrograms.pdf.
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Similarly, the draft committee report released by the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair did
not include the policy changes proposed in the President’s budget and instead stated that the
increased funding level it proposed, when combined with reserve funds, would ensure that no
current voucher holders would be at risk of losing their housing assistance.21
The final FY2021 full-year appropriations law increased funding for HUD’s rental assistance
programs relative to FY2021 and included more than $100 mil ion for new incremental Housing
Choice Vouchers. Further, the law adopted a new account structure for the public housing
program that was initial y proposed in the Senate majority draft bil . Instead of separately funding
the public housing capital and operating funds, the final FY2021 law created a new Public
Housing Fund account, within which amounts were specified for the activities previously funded
by the operating fund and capital fund accounts.
Policy Provisions
The House bil included 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.22
 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.23
The Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft bil included a provision to increase the cap
on public housing conversions under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) from 455,000
units to 500,000 units along with several other changes to expand the range of properties eligible
for RAD conversion (§236).
The final FY2021 appropriations law did not contain these provisions from the House or Senate
Appropriations Committee majority draft bil s.

THUD Related Agencies
As shown in Table 5, most of the related agencies funded in the THUD bil would have received
level or increased funding relative to the prior year under the President’s FY2021 budget request.
The exception is the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, which was proposed for a
significant funding decrease that was not ultimately adopted.

21 Draft committee report released by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Shelby on November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/T HUDRept.pdf
22 For more information, see CRS Insight IN11121, HUD’s Proposal to End Assistance to Mixed Status Families.
23 Included as a part of a set of amendments considered en bloc via H.Amdt. 868.
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Table 5. THUD Independent Agencies, FY2020-FY2021
(dol ars in mil ions)
FY2021
Senate
Comm.
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Majority
FY2021
Related Agencies
Enacted Request
House
Draft
Enacted
Access Board
9
9
9
9
9
Federal Maritime Commission
28
29
30
31
30
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
(Amtrak) Office of Inspector General
24
26
26
24
25
National Transportation Safety Board
110
116
118
119
118
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
159
27
209
159
165
(NeighborWorks)
Surface Transportation Board
37
38
38
38
38
Offsetting Col ections
-1
-1
-1
-1
-1
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
4
4
4
4
4
Total
370
248
431
382
388
Supplemental Discretionary Funding


300a


Additional Mandatory Appropriations




100b
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 ; and draft committee report
released by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Shelby on November 10, 2020,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/THUDR ept.pdf; and Division L of P.L. 116-260 and
accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement, including Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority tables,
published in the December 21, 2020 Congressional Record, Book IV.
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 6 for account-level information.
b. P.L. 117-2 included $100 mil ion in mandatory funding for NeighborWorks for housing counseling.
Selected Related 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 through a network of affiliated local organizations. 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 rejected this proposal and proposed to instead fund
NeighborWorks at an increased level relative to FY2020. Of the amount provided for
NeighborWorks in the House bil , $25 mil ion was to be for competitive grants to support
specified redevelopment activities in areas with high rates of abandoned or distressed properties.
The Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft proposed to fund NeighborWorks at
FY2020 levels. The final FY2021 appropriations law provided $165 mil ion for NeighborWorks,
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an increase over FY2020. Of that amount, $5 mil ion is designated for a multifamily housing
program and $2 mil ion is to support shared equity homeownership programs.

Emergency Funding for Transportation and
Housing Infrastructure
The House bil included in the THUD division a new Title V—Additional Funding for
Infrastructure Investments. As shown in Table 6, it would have provided $75 bil ion in additional
discretionary resources for various accounts at DOT and HUD, as wel as one related agency.
This funding, which nearly matched the total discretionary funding provided in the preceding
titles of the bil , would have been 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
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”24 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.”25
The package was not included in the final FY2021 THUD appropriations act.

24 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.
25 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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Table 6. Proposed H.R. 7617, Division G, Title V-Additional Infrastructure
Investments, (not enacted)
(dol ars in mil ions)
Proposed Emergency FY2021
Accounts
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
5,000
Grants
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
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
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Proposed Emergency FY2021
Accounts
Funding
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.


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Appendix. Pandemic Relief Funding for Housing
and Transportation Programs in FY2021
Congress provided significant FY2021 funding beyond regular annual THUD appropriations for
housing and transportation programs in response to the economic consequences of the COVID-19
pandemic. Division M of the FY2021 THUD appropriations bil contained additional
supplemental appropriations for DOT designated for emergency purposes, and thus not subject to
discretionary spending limits. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided additional
mandatory funding to a number of DOT and HUD accounts. These mandatory funds are also not
subject to discretionary spending limits. (For more information about ARPA funds, see CRS
Insight IN11641, Housing Funding in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021)
Table A-1. FY2021 Additional Pandemic Relief Funding for THUD Agencies
Mil ions of dol ars
Coronavirus Response
and Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act,
2021 (Div M of P.L. 116-
260, FY2021
Consolidated

American Rescue Plan
Appropriations Act)
Act (P.L. 117-2)b
Total Funding
Supplemental Discretionary
Mandatory
Discretionary and
Program/Accounta
Appropriations
Appropriations
Mandatory
Department of
Title IV


Transportation (DOT)
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Operating expense grants
$1,750
$6,492 (§7102(b)(1))
$8,242
to primary airports
Development project
0
608 (§7102(b)(2)
608
grants to primary airports
Grants to general
45
100 (§7102(b)(3))
145
aviation/non-primary
airports
Relief for concessionaires’
200
800 (§7102(b)(4))
1,000
payments to airports
Grant to Smal
5
0
5
Community Air Service
Development Program
Subtotal: Grants-in-aid for
2,000
8,000 (§7102(a))
10,000
airports
Emergency FAA Employee
0
9 (§7103)
9
Leave Fund
Aviation Manufacturing
0
3,000 (§7202)
3,000
Payrol Support Program
Total, FAA
2,000
11,009
13,009
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
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Coronavirus Response
and Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act,
2021 (Div M of P.L. 116-
260, FY2021
Consolidated

American Rescue Plan
Appropriations Act)
Act (P.L. 117-2)b
Total Funding
Supplemental Discretionary
Mandatory
Discretionary and
Program/Accounta
Appropriations
Appropriations
Mandatory
Surface Transportation
9,840
0
9,840
Block Grant Program
Tribal Transportation
115
0
115
Program
Puerto Rico Highways
36
0
36
Program
Territorial Highways
10
0
10
Program
Total, FHWA
10,000
0
10,000
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Amtrak Northeast
655
970 (§7101(a)
1,626
Corridor Grants
Amtrak National
345
730 (§7101(b))
1,074
Network Grants
Replace state and
110
1108 (§7101(d))
2206
commuter rail capital
payments

Replace payments from
175
175
350
states for state-supported
routes

Restore long-distance service
0
166 (§7101(c))
166
& recal employees
Total, FRA
1,000
1,700
2,700
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Grants for operating
13,271
26,087 (§3401(b)(1))
39,358
expenses to recipients of
Urbanized Area Formula
Grants (§5307)/State of
Good Repair Grants
(§5337)
Grants for operating
50
50 (§3401(b)(2))
100
expenses to recipients of
Elderly & Disabled Grants
(§5310)
Grants for operating
679
317 (§3401(b)(3))
996
expenses to recipients of
Rural Areas Formula
Grants (§5311)
Capital Investments
0
1,675 (§3401(b)(4))
1,675
Grants Program (§5309)
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Coronavirus Response
and Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act,
2021 (Div M of P.L. 116-
260, FY2021
Consolidated

American Rescue Plan
Appropriations Act)
Act (P.L. 117-2)b
Total Funding
Supplemental Discretionary
Mandatory
Discretionary and
Program/Accounta
Appropriations
Appropriations
Mandatory
Bus partners (§5311(f))
0
100 (§3401(b)(5))
100
Planning grants
0
25 (§3401(b)(6))
25
Discretionary aid to
0
2,208 (§3401(b)(7))
2,208
recipients of grants under
§5309 & §5311
Total, FTA
14,000
30,461
44,461
Total, DOT
$27,000
$43,170
$70,170
Department of



Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Tenant Based Rental
Assistance (Emergency

5,000 (§3202)
5,000
Housing Vouchers)
HOME (Homelessness
Assistance and Supportive

5,000 (§3205)
5,000
Services Program)
Native American Housing
(Housing Assistance and
Supportive Services

750 (§11003)
750
Programs for Native
Americans)
Fair Housing

20 (§3208)
20
Total, HUD

$10,770
$10,770
Related Agencies


Neighborhood
Reinvestment

100 (§3204)
100
Corporation
Total, Related
Agencies


100
$100
Source: CRS, based on information in Division M of P.L. 116-260 and P.L. 117-2.
Notes: Numbers may not add due to rounding.
a. Section numbers in the Program column for FTA refer to U.S. Code Title 49.
b. Section numbers in the American Rescue Plan Act column refer to section numbers in that act. Amounts in
P.L. 116-260 were in text not demarcated by section numbers.

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Author Information

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




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Congressional Research Service
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