On May 24^th the U. S. House of Representatives Appropriations committee approved the FY 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. The $58.2 billion bill funds federal transportation projects and housing programs. The bill is an increase of $889 million over FY 2016 approved spending; however, it’s a reduction of $4.9 billion below the President’s request.

 Details of the Bill can be found at: http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-114hr-sc-ap-fy2017-transhud-subcommitteedraft.pdf  Appropriations Committee approval is just the first step. The bill must still be adopted by the entire Congress and signed by the President.