On May 13, the House Appropriations Committee approved, 30-21, the FY2016 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies passed the measure on April 29 (see The Source, 5/1/15).
According to the committee report, the bill would allocate $55.3 billion overall for FY2016. This amount is $1.5 billion above FY2015, but $9.7 billion below President Obama’s FY2016 request.
The committee encourages the Department of Housing and Urban Development to facilitate the issuance of vouchers for “the Family Unification Program, homeless veterans, and vouchers authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)” (P.L. 113-4), and other vulnerable populations as vouchers become available to public housing authorities upon turnover (p. 77).
The following chart details funding for programs important to women and their families.
| Program/Agency | FY2015 | President Obama’s Request | FY2016 |
| Minority Business Resource Center Program | $926 million | $933 million | $933 million |
| Public and Indian Housing | $203 billion | $203 billion | $210 billion |
| Tenant-Based Rental Assistance | $19.304 billion | $19.918 billion | $21.123 billion |
