Recently, leaders from the U.S. House received a letter which had been announced by chairs of four congressional groups (the New Democrat Coalition Housing Task Force, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus) urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to preserve funding for several federal housing anti-discrimination programs while the FY 2026 appropriations process remains ongoing. The letter, co-signed by more than 40 members of Congress, called attention to proposed cuts that would eliminate the Federal Housing Initiatives Program, reduce funding for the Fair Housing Assistance Program, and cut $34.9 million from HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

The letter warned that defunding or underfunding these programs would hurt the federal government’s ability to enforce fair housing laws and could worsen the affordable housing crisis. The letter concluded by urging Congress to fund these initiatives fully to ensure equal housing opportunities free from discrimination.