The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $1.25 billion initiative Thursday to benefit affordable housing construction and renters.
By a vote of 27-1, the committee OK'd funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program as part of a larger infrastructure bill. The HOMES initiative aids municipalities building affordable housing — including residences intended for first-time buyers or condos with salary restrictions — and offers rental assistance.
The HOMES approval was one of several bipartisan budget-related initiatives the committee considered as part of its fiscal 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill. The funding totals $99.8 billion in non-defense spending and $400 million in defense spending.
"In the end, this bill is fiscally responsible and responsive to our nation’s needs, adhering to budgetary constraints, while making key investments to improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure and, among other things, fully funding existing rental assistance for seniors, the disabled, and working families," said Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, chair of an Appropriations subcommittee and a Republican of Mississippi.
The bill must pass the full Senate.
The National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 led to the creation of the HOME program. Earlier this year, Rep. Mike Flood, a Republican of Nebraska, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat of Missouri, called for feedback from the public to revise and better tailor the program to today’s housing needs.