The Cruelest Cut in Trump’s Housing Budget
“The Housing Trust Fund is a godsend for vulnerable families. But it is unlikely to survive its first encounter with a Republican administration after the one that signed it into law: In the federal budget for 2018 released today, the Trump administration zeroes out funds for the Housing Trust Fund, eliminating one of the country’s few mechanisms for establishing and keeping deeply affordable housing. President Trump’s budget for includes cuts for HUD of over 13 percent. It eliminates the Community Development Block Grant program entirely and carves out billions in housing assistance. But losing the Housing Trust Fund would be particularly punitive, given the way that the fund is financed, the very small amount of money in question, and above all, the desperate profile of the families this fund serves.”