The National Association of Realtors is calling on Congress to reject a White House budget that would cut billions of dollars in federal housing funding.
The National Association of Realtors is calling on Congress to reject a White House budget that would cut billions of dollars in federal housing programs, warning that the cuts would undermine homeownership and fair housing access across the country.
NAR Chairman Kevin Brown sent a letter to Senate and House committees on April 30 asking lawmakers to maintain funding for Housing Choice Vouchers, HOME Investment Partnerships, Community Development Block Grants, and HUD’s Fair Housing and Counseling Program.
“Federal housing programs are a critical part of the solution, and we must maintain and strengthen our investments in them to ensure our communities can meet all their needs,” Brown wrote.
What the budget proposes
President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request to Congress in April proposes cutting HUD’s budget by $10.7 billion, a 13% reduction from fiscal year 2026 enacted levels and bringing the department’s total to $73.5 billion, according to White House budget documents.
This proposal would completely zero out both CDBG and HOME. CDBG accounted for $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2026 funding. HOME was worth $1.25 billion, according to the National Association of Affordable Housing Financers. The Pathways to Housing program is also at risk of being abolished.
Fair Housing Action Accounts are facing a 70 percent cut. The proposal would eliminate the Fair Housing Initiative program, which funds nonprofit fair housing enforcement agencies, while retaining the Fair Housing Assistance Program, which funds state and local enforcement agencies. According to the National Fair Housing Alliance, FHIP-funded organizations handle nearly three-quarters of the nation’s housing discrimination complaints, and at least 12 states do not have their own FHAP-funded agencies.
Not all HUD programs will face cuts. Unlike last year’s proposal, the administration is not calling for major rent assistance programs to be restructured into block grants. According to Housing Finance, the Housing Choice Voucher program is proposed to receive a small increase from $38.5 billion to $38.8 billion.
Congress has been here before.
Congress is not required to adopt the White House’s budget requests and has a recent record of departing from them on housing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in fiscal year 2026, lawmakers increased overall HUD funding instead of following the HUD cuts proposed in the previous year.
Many of the programs proposed to be repealed in fiscal year 2027 are the same ones that Congress reinstated on a bipartisan basis months ago. CDBG, in particular, has survived multiple attempts by the Trump administration to eliminate it.
unified push
NAR is not alone in its opposition. The Housing and Community Development Funding Campaign, a group of 70 housing advocacy groups, is also calling on Congress to keep federal housing programs fully funded, arguing that they promote population stability.
what happens next
Turner’s appearance before the House Appropriations Committee on Monday will begin Congress’ formal response to the fiscal year 2027 request. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development subcommittee’s spending bill hike is scheduled for May 21, and the committee-wide hike is scheduled for June 4, according to NLIHC.
Fair housing compliance resources, a down payment assistance pipeline for low-income people, and first-time homebuyer assistance programs all come from the funds NAR is asking Congress to protect. The next six weeks may determine how many survive.
Email Jesse Healy
