Mar. 23 Federal Update: Senate Passes Bipartisan Housing Reform Legislation 

The Senate recently passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a significant reform bill that aims to increase housing affordability and availability. The bill passed by a vote of 89 to 10 and will now be sent to the House of Representatives to either approve amendments introduced by the Senate or introduce further amendments. The bill previously passed the House through a vote of 390 to 9. 

For further information, the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has published a detailed summary. 

The bill’s passage also arrives as the president has issued executive orders, Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit and Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction, intended to promote housing affordability and accessibility. The measures arrive as communities continue to experience remarkable challenges accessing affordable housing.  

Children’s Bureau Revises Section 8.1H of the Child Welfare Policy Manual 

The Children’s Bureau recently announced Section 8.1H, Question 21 of the Child Welfare Policy Manual (TITLE IV-E, Administrative Functions/Costs, Training) was amended to remove “cultural competence” and related language from the question and answer. 

The question asks, what are allowable title IV-E training topics related to the role of protective factors in healthy child development, such as resiliency; relational competence; child social and emotional development; trauma; and related areas?  

ASPE Publishes Report Detailing Opportunities to Improve Licensing and Reach of Kinship Care 

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) recently published a report exploring how states are approaching kinship care by examining states’ definitions of kinship caregivers, the prevalence of children in foster care living with relatives or kin, and states’ adoption of separate licensing standards for kinship homes, and states’ participation in kinship navigator programs through the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. 

Executive Order Establishes a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud

On March 16, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud that encompassed several departments and agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, and Veterans Affairs. The Task Force was designed to coordinate a national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs, including by strengthening eligibility verification processes, developing controls before funds are disbursed, and auditing to ensure prospective compliance monitoring.

VA and DOJ Sign Agreement to Guide Post-Acute Transitions of Care for Certain Populations of Veterans  

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) authorizing the DOJ to appoint VA attorneys as special assistant U.S. attorneys. VA attorneys will then be empowered with the legal authority to initiate and participate in state court guardianship or conservatorship proceedings in cases where a legal decision-maker is required for post-acute transitions of care for Veterans in need. 

In certain cases, the appointment of a legal guardian or conservator can be a lifeline for Veterans. They can aid Veterans by preventing unwarranted continued hospitalization, advocating for their rights, and promoting appropriate transitions of care from VA hospitalization to other forms of VA care or care in the community, if appropriate. 

However, guardianship and other forms of involuntary intervention are serious legal actions. The decisions significantly limit personal autonomy and, accordingly, merit extensive consideration to determine whether they are truly necessary and beneficial.   

Caution is especially important due to key challenges Veterans face in accessing community services and housing, as many concurrently continue to navigate complex health challenges. Health and human service organizations offer essential expertise to aid in policy development to grow access to essential services to support their holistic health, well-being, and recovery while prioritizing trust and transparency.  

Sector Updates from the Judiciary 

HUD Appeals Federal Court’s Decision to Temporarily Pause Proposed Changes to the Continuum of Care program 

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), recently appealed a federal verdict that temporarily prevented the federal government from implementing changes to the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. 

The changes were initially announced in November and would have drastically shifted eligibility requirements. The initial Notice of Funding Opportunity markedly reduced funding from permanent housing and mandated that the majority of the funds be directed to temporary transitional housing assistance with conditional work or service requirements.  

Following a lawsuit filed by a coalition of nonprofits and state and local governments, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction preventing the amended grant conditions from taking effect. 

Federal Court Blocks Key Sections of a Proposed Regulation Expected to Drastically Alter the Deportation Appeals Process 

The US District Court for the District of Columbia recently vacated the main provisions of a proposed regulation, Appellate Procedures for the Board of Immigration Appeals. 

The regulation would have introduced sweeping changes, including allowing the Executive Office of Immigration Review to determine which cases to review. All appeals would be dismissed, leading the deportation order to become final, unless a majority of permanent members of the Board of Immigration Appeals vote to consider it. Additionally, the rule would reduce the time individuals have to file their appeals from 30 days to 10 days. Appellants would have been required to comply with a waiver provision requiring them to raise all issues in the notice of appeal or risk forfeiting them. 

Judge Randolph D. Moss prevented the above requirements from taking effect, finding that the administration failed to comply with public comment requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act. However, other sections that the Judge determined wouldn’t cause immediate harm have since gone into effect. The procedural changes include simultaneous briefing schedules, limits on extensions and reply briefs, and other case-management adjustments.  

First Circuit Upholds Lower Court’s Actions to Stop the Government-Wide Funding Freeze 

The First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the preliminary injunction issued by the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island. The decision upheld a critical precedent: the executive branch cannot unilaterally freeze funds appropriated by Congress. 

The appellate ruling followed a March 2025 decision that prevented the White House Office of Management and Budget from pausing trillions in government loans, grants, and other payments. In upholding the lower court’s verdict, the First Circuit Court of Appeals introduced essential safeguards to protect essential funding for federal programs, ranging from Medicaid to child-care programs and infrastructure projects.  

The order also arrives after the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued a preliminary injunction, preventing the Trump administration from cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in public health grants to several Democratic states. However, Judge Manish S. Shah clarified that the court could not enforce payment obligations for a federal grant: lawsuits regarding contracts with the US are the domain of the Court of Federal Claims. 

Federal Court Pauses Changes to the Vaccine Schedule  

The US District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction, preventing changes to the national childhood vaccine schedule from becoming effective. The ruling also determined that the recent appointments to the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) did not follow federal legal procedures. 

The decision arrives as medical providers and families nationwide have faced significant uncertainty, while leading medical experts have continued to advocate against the proposed changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.  

Notably, the proposed schedule would have reduced the number of recommended vaccines from 18 to 11, excluding hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue, and two forms of bacterial meningitis. Additionally, the changes were accompanied by the removal of 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP is intended to stand as an independent panel of vaccine experts who evaluate the latest research to determine the safety and efficacy of vaccines.