House Republicans on March 8, 2025, unveiled a continuing resolution to keep federal programs funded until the end of fiscal year (FY) 2025. Unable to reach agreement with Democrats on individual spending bills, Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have thrown their support behind a year-long spending bill. If no exceptions are provided, the CR funds programs at FY24 levels through FY25.

Some Democrats say they will oppose the bill, in part because any CR provides the executive branch with more flexible funding authority and less specific direction than annual funding bills. To pass the Senate, the year-long CR needs support from Democrats to reach the 60 votes needed for passage.

“Should they choose to vote to shut the government for negotiation leverage and their contempt of President Trump, they are readying to hurt hundreds of millions more. It’s a battle they lost in November, and one the people will continue to see through. Our good-faith efforts provide an immediate solution to the deadline before us,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said when he released the text of the year-long CR.

“Instead of working with Democrats to invest in working families and communities all across America, Speaker Johnson has rolled out a slush fund continuing resolution that would give Donald Trump and Elon Musk more power over federal spending—and more power to pick winners and losers, which threatens families in blue and red states alike,” Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) said about the effort to pass a year-long CR instead of individual funding bills.

Thanks to advocacy by LeadingAge and its members, the year-long CR provides exceptions for HUD’s Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance and Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts to ensure HUD has the resources it needs to provide sufficient and uninterrupted funding for these programs.

On top of FY24 funding, the CR seeks an additional $893 for Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, as requested by the White House, and an additional $18.4 million for Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contract renewals. The White House did not request this plus-up for 202/PRAC renewals but appropriators, working with LeadingAge, are well-aware of the insufficiency in that account to meet all FY25 renewal needs with only FY24 funding. Without these increases, HUD would have to short-fund, short-time, or leave some contracts unfunded altogether upon their renewal.

The year-long CR’s overall funding for the Section 202 account, $931.4 million, equals amounts provided in the House Appropriations Committee’s FY24 funding bill, from summer 2024, and the amount requested by the Biden Administration.

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY24 funding bill from summer 2024, would have increased the Section 202 program from FY24’s $913 million to $931.4 million. The Senate’s bill would have provided about $115 million for new Section 202 homes. It would not have funded PRAC rent increases for RAD conversions or provided funding for new Service Coordinator grants.

The CR does not provide all that LeadingAge was hoping for in an FY25 HUD funding bill. Like the FY24 HUD funding bill, the year-long CR proposal provides no funding for PRAC rent increases to support 202/PRAC preservation through the Rental Assistance Demonstration program. Reflecting the FY24 HUD funding bill, a year-long CR would not fund any new Section 202 homes and would not fund any new Service Coordinator grants. Every appropriations bill is an opportunity to meet existing and growing affordable senior housing needs.

To have an annual appropriations bill that does not do more to preserve and expand the supply of affordable senior housing, and make affordable senior housing even better connected to services and supports so older adult residents can age in community, is a great disappointment.

While HUD’s multifamily housing programs receive the plus-ups from FY24 they need for Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contract and Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance renewals through September 30, not all HUD programs fare as well.

Housing Choice Vouchers

The Housing Choice Voucher program is HUD’s largest, serving almost 2.8 million households. Nationally, 34% of voucher-assisted households have a head of household or their spouse who is 62 or older.

According to an analysis by House Democrats, even after providing additional funding on top of FY24-enacted level, the year-long CR underfunds the voucher account by “more than $700 million, leaving landlords to foot the bill for or evict more than 32,000 households including veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, and families with disabilities.” The year-long CR provides the HUD Secretary with authority to use funds that could otherwise be spend on tenant protection vouchers, voucher administration, new Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers, and Family Unification program vouchers to help maintain the mainstream voucher program.

Homeless Assistance Grants

The year-long CR does not provide any additional funds, beyond FY24 levels, for Homeless Assistance Grants. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY25 bill from 2024 would have increased funding by $268 million. The year-long CR provides authority to the HUD Secretary to use funding meant for new permanent supportive housing funding for homelessness assistance grants.

Community Development

The year-long CR shaves almost $3.3 billion from HUD’s community development fund for FY25 because it would not fund any “economic development initiatives” or “community projects” aka earmarks. The FY24 HUD funding bill included $3.290 billion for such projects.

The House hopes to vote on the year-long CR as soon as March 11, leaving the Senate to pass the bill or face a partial government shutdown before the current CR expires at midnight March 14.

Read the year-long CR here.