On March 16, the Trump administration published "America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again," its 2018 budget proposal, which includes significant cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ARCHITECT has collected responses from organizations and publications covering the design and building industries and will continue to update this story as it develops.

The AIA released a statement rebuking the White House's proposed budget for cutting valuable programs that protect the environment and build stronger neighborhoods. "This budget includes many cuts that will have severe long-term ramifications for our communities and economy," said AIA President Thomas Vonier, FAIA, in the release. "It does away with programs that foster a cleaner environment and strong neighborhoods and it eliminates programs with a proven track record of job creation in the design and construction industry." [AIA]

Former ARCHITECT senior editor Kriston Capps discusses the threat to affordable housing and homelessness solutions due to the proposed $6.2 billion cut to the HUD's 2018 budget in his CityLab article. Programs such as Community Development Block Grants (which funds community programs), HOME Investment Partnerships (which provides affordable-housing grants to states and communities), and the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (which awards grants for volunteer home-building efforts for low-income families) would all be cut in Trump's proposal. [CityLab]

ICYMI: How the construction and lumber industries may be affected by budget cuts to FEMA's Flood Insurance program, Energy Star, and the EPA. [Remodeling]

ConstructionDive considers the Trump budget to be a "mixed bag" for the construction industry. While the FASTLANE grant program, which funds highway and freight projects, has been allotted $900 million for 2018, other infrastructure programs such as the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Program—which funds such projects as the Los Angeles Purple Line extension, Chicago's Red Line expansion, and the Minneapolis Light Rail Transit—could be eradicated. [ConstructionDive]

HUD Secretary Ben Carson released the following statement: “The discretionary budget plan released today by President Trump aligns with Agency plans to provide rental assistance to low-income and vulnerable households and to help families achieve self-sufficiency. The budget also promotes fiscal responsibility at HUD by promoting better efficiencies and leveraging IT modernization. I look forward to working with the President and remain keenly focused on HUD’s mission and core values.”

ICYMI: Before the official budget proposal was announced, ARCHITECT explored how cuts to EPA funding could affect the building industry. [ARCHITECT]