This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2016 funding bill for federal transportation and housing programs.  The bill would decrease transportation funding by $1 billion over 2015 levels, and increase funding for housing programs by $1 billion. 

For transportation, the bill would continue to fund highway, bridge, and transit programs at the levels authorized in MAP-21.  Two programs proposed for cuts are Amtrak, which would be cut by $262 million to $1.4 billion, and the TIGER grant program, which would be reduced from $500 million to $100 million under the House approach.  For housing programs, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program would be held steady at $3.0 billion, while the HOME Investment Partnerships program, which provides housing assistance, would also be funded at the same level as this year, at $900 million.  Democrats introduced several amendments to increase funding in the bill, but all were rejected on party-line votes.

The bill now moves to the full House for consideration, with a vote likely to take place in June or July 2015.  The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet taken action on any of its 12 appropriations bills for FY 2016, but is likely to do so after the Memorial Day Recess.