Reno, NV – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement criticizing President Trump’s budget proposal for cutting essential funding to address the housing needs of low-income Nevada families, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and the homeless.
“Nevada is still recovering from the effects of the housing crisis and we need to continue our hard-fought progress by investing in families, especially Nevadans who are still struggling,” said Cortez Masto. “The state needs these essential funds to help our seniors, persons with disabilities, veterans and working families keep their homes or find affordable housing, and also aide in our efforts to prevent homelessness. Moreover, these programs aren’t just important for vulnerable families, they also create jobs and help attract businesses to Nevada.”
President Trump’s budget proposal calls for $6.2 billion in cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s funding, eliminating longstanding housing and neighborhood improvement programs such as the Community Development Block Grant and the Indian Community Development Block Grant. If enacted, the President’s budget will escalate homelessness in Nevada and undermine efforts to provide affordable housing. Additionally, the President’s budget would result in the following:
- Nevada would lose nearly $20 million in Community Development Block Grant funds, which support job creation, emergency services for domestic violence survivors and their children, neighborhood improvements, senior services, and homelessness prevention.
- Rural communities would lose funding for investments in projects like water infrastructure and support to food pantries.
- Urban communities would lose investments in supportive services for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.
- Nevada would lose nearly $9 million in HOME Investment Partnership program funding, which supports the construction and rehabilitation of housing for seniors, families with children, and veterans across both urban and rural Nevada.
- Trump’s budget would raise rents for extremely low-income seniors and people with disabilities in HUD-assisted housing, and would restrict utility allowances that help them pay for water and electricity.
- Nevada tribal communities would lose a combined $1.4 million in Native American Block Grant funds, which help tribes to build and rehabilitate housing and infrastructure.
- Trump’s budget would undo protections for widows and widowers with “reverse mortgages” that are meant to help seniors age-in-place.
- Trump’s budget seeks to eliminate the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which coordinates homelessness prevention services across federal agencies. In 2015, this Council helped Southern Nevada to effectively end veteran homelessness.
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