There has been a federal hiring freeze for most government agencies by executive order. I realize that's not the same thing as cutting beneficiaries or the amount beneficiaries get (though they will undoubtedly face longer hold times and wait times), but it indicates some of what can be done by executive order.
Back to the Section 8 -- Google: letter section 8 housing cuts
Here's one
https://affordablehousingonline.com/blog/trump-cuts-housing-funding
Although it doesn't say whether the NYHCA has actually reacted by doing any cuts itself.
But this is interesting:
Just last month, a housing authority in Florida canceled its scheduled Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list opening due to the uncertainty that it will receive enough federal funding to serve the persons that would be placed on the waiting list. So far, this is the only housing authority we have encountered that has canceled a waiting list opening for this specific reason. This housing authority cited instructions it had received by a phone call from the HUD regional office that budget cuts were on the way. It is unclear of that cancellation (and the referenced cuts) are associated with the recent NYCHA budget cuts.
That's kind of a cut in my book -- for people who will need housing help in the future.
Here's something from
http://ny.curbed.com/2017/3/7/14842060/nycha-funding-cuts-hud
A letter from HUD to NYCHA dated February 26—several days before Carson was approved as HUD secretary—notes that the department plans on slashing the agency’s funding by 5 percent, a whole 2 percent increase over what NYCHA has braced for. The (Wall Street) Journal notes that an additional $7.7 million in cuts have been made to federal Section 8 programs by HUD since Trump’s election.
For people who can get around the pay wall, the referenced Wall Street Journal article is at
https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-aid-reduced-for-new-york-city-housing-authority-1488844639?tesla=y
From the Think Progress link in #31:
https://thinkprogress.org/new-york-public-housing-trump-cuts-a83399eaa528#.3d49ui5t5
The city has already lost about 6,000 vouchers through attrition over the last four years, Goldiner said. “That’s 6,000 families that can’t afford their rent or are living in the homeless shelter system,” she said. That process was expected to continue anyway.
Cuts by attrition are cuts, albeit kinder than kicking out a current beneficiary.
I read somewhere else that the cuts were caused by limits imposed by sequestration.
Nothing that I've seen mentions sanctuary cities at all, though, FWIW. Other than the Think Progress story referenced in #31, and they don't give any evidence that all this is tied to NYC's sanctuary city status. Nor did I find any stories of individual beneficiaries -- like the OP's mom -- getting letters.
As for Trump's budget -- Congress does not pass presidents' budgets, even with amendments. Presidential budgets are aspirational creations only. Congress writes and passes the spending bills pretty much as they see fit. Of course they have to be mindful of a potential presidential veto that they might not be able to override, but otherwise they can and do write their own bills (yes, I'm sure with a lot of lobbyist help).
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