Trump wants to ax an affordable housing grant that helps rural areas

President Donald Trump and House Republicans want to cut new funding for a housing grant that many rural areas rely on to help fund affordable housing. The grant has helped fund or repair more than 1.3 million affordable units, including 540,000 in rural areas and small towns. That's according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data. Experts say cutting the grant would jeopardize thousands of future homes for the nation’s poor. That’s especially true in Appalachian towns and rural counties that lack investment and where many of Trump’s voters live. Trump has argued that affordable housing funding should be left up to states. The program's future rests with Congress.