[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  FALL RIVER HERALD NEWS SALUTES CDBG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 6, 2005

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, 23 years ago, when 
Congressional Districts in Massachusetts were changed, one of the first 
issues I worked on involving the newer parts of my district concerned 
the Community Development Block Grant Program for the City of Fall 
River. Working with then Mayor Carlton Viveiros, I was successful in 
preserving parts of the CDBG Program in Fall River that were being 
threatened by legislative changes. And in the years since then, Fall 
River has continued to be a national exemplar of how this program works 
for the benefit of our constituents.
  On Friday, April 1, the newspaper of Fall River, the Herald News, ran 
an excellent editorial, which testifies both to the value of the CDBG 
Program nationally, and to the good work that people have done 
administering it in Fall River. As the editorial eloquently pointed 
out, ``Allowing a community's water mains to decay does nothing to 
foster self-reliance. An 80-year-old widow on a small pension, living 
alone, will probably not be lured from the paths of righteousness if 
she receives some help paying her heating bills.'' As the Herald News 
notes, CDBG funds in Fall River ``are a good example of tax money being 
put to a variety of concrete uses that directly benefit people.'' Given 
that we are now in a national debate on this program in response to the 
President's proposal substantially to reduce it and reorganize it, I 
ask that the very thoughtful editorial by the Fall River Herald News be 
printed here.

       The most common (and often misguided) gripe about 
     government is that you pay your taxes and you never see your 
     money at work.
       In fact, it is popular to believe that government spends 
     its entire budget on ``pork barrel'' projects of the ``how do 
     butterflies fly'' variety.
       This kind of thinking is so enshrined in the American 
     consciousness that no one really believes government ever 
     does anything useful with taxpayer dollars.
       That's not true.
       Witness the Community Development Block Grant Program. That 
     program brings about $5 million to Fall River every year. 
     That $5 million is not spent on pork.
       Money from CDBG funding puts police officers on foot beats, 
     helps poor elderly people pay their utilities and has helped 
     reline miles of city water pipes.
       Does that sound like pork to you?
       At a recent press conference, Fall River Mayor Edward M. 
     Lambert Jr. spoke strongly about the need to preserve the 
     CDBG program.
       Lambert said the program is threatened by an initiative 
     aimed at rolling a number of similar programs together, 
     cutting funding and handing control over to the Department of 
     Commerce. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has 
     always administered CDBG programs.
       Frankly, any threat to CDBG money is a threat to Fall 
     River.
       Of course, numerous people will say that the cutting of 
     another ``entitlement'' program is a good thing, that ``self-
     reliance'' needs to be encouraged.
       It's difficult to see what these people mean. Allowing a 
     community's water mains to decay does nothing to foster self-
     reliance. An 80-year-old widow on a small pension, living 
     alone, will probably not be lured from the paths of 
     righteousness if she receives some help paying her heating 
     bills.
       In Fall River, Community Development Block Grants are a 
     good example of tax money being put to a variety of concrete 
     uses that directly benefit people.
       That kind of government program deserves to continue on a 
     steady course.

                          ____________________