Democrats are negotiating the cuts as they try to reconcile demands from centrists to slash the size of the bill with resistance from progressives.
Democrats are considering cutting housing funding in President Joe Biden’s massive social spending plan to $100 billion, roughly a third of the initial amount proposed as they try to lower the cost of the bill, congressional aides said. The potential cuts are fueling resentment among progressives, who are fighting to preserve programs proposed in what was originally a $3.5 trillion plan as centrists such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) try to slash the size of the bill. Public housing repairs — which were given $80 billion in the original proposal — would still receive a cash infusion under the revised framework, but $75 billion in new rental assistance through Section 8 housing vouchers was at risk of being eliminated, according to people familiar with the talks who requested anonymity. House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) — whose committee last month signed off on more than $300 billion in housing aid — said Wednesday that she opposed “deep cuts in housing.
