Congress is likely to defund Obama’s housing rules in the forthcoming omnibus spending bill.
The administration’s housing regulation, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), gives the federal government the power to decide the racial composition of communities in America. The regulation allows for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to withhold money from cities and municipalities that fail to address racial disparities in their communities.
Sources on Capitol Hill tell Breitbart News that the regulation is likely to be defunded. One source told Breitbart, “From what we have heard, Dems could live with defunding AFFH being included in the omnibus.”
The program has drawn criticism from conservatives and has been devastating for some communities. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) tells Breitbart News that New York in particular has been hurt:
A trial run of the new AFFH regulation already took place in the State of New York. The result was a failure and a local county was initially forced to forego $12 million in funds that would have benefited the community due to the impractical and unrealistic requirements associated with misguided agency regulation. The county had intended to use a large portion of these block grant funds to establish public housing for individuals in need.
Gosar has been leading the fight in the House to defund the AFFH regulation. In June, the House passed his amendment to defund it, but the amendment went nowhere in the Senate.
The omnibus bill to fund the government must pass by December 11 in order to avoid a government shut down. The Syrian refugee program and Planned Parenthood are the most controversial aspects of negotiations right now. Democrats want to ensure that both remain funded.
Democrats are likely to let Republicans win on the issue of Obama’s housing regulation, but fight to make sure the refugee program and Planned Parenthood are still funded.