[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 113 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JOYCE BEATTY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 30, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2610) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and 
     Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the 
devastating funding cuts to the Transportation and Housing initiatives 
in this appropriations bill, and particularly the cuts to the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development 
Block Grant Program (CDBG).
  Established nearly forty years ago, the CDBG program provides State 
and local governments across the country with the funding and 
flexibility to most effectively target resources to local community 
development needs.
  The only Federal program of its kind, since 1974, the CDBG program 
has invested $135 billion in local communities.
  And, in addition to being a critical factor in national economic 
growth, this program has assisted States and local governments in 
achieving the kinds of infrastructure projects, job creation and 
poverty elimination that our communities so desperately need.
  In this Chamber, there is often talk of the need to make government 
more efficient, and reduce wasting taxpayer dollars.
  Well, I'm happy to report that this program does just that--it 
continues to be one of HUD's most efficient programs--with grantees 
devoting on average 94 percent of CDBG funds directly to efforts that 
provide benefits to low-to moderate-income families.
  Within my district in Franklin County Ohio, CDBG funding has been 
used for housing rehabilitation, micro-enterprise assistance, ADA 
compliance, and revitalization of downtown Columbus. These developments 
have made a real difference in my community.
  The City of Whitehall has removed and replaced about thirty-three-
hundred feet of curb and gutter along Bernhard Road, enhancing water 
runoff management in the area--preventing pooling water and possible 
disease or outbreak.
  Recent projects have provided 650 households with access to public 
transit--public transit that many families use to get to and from work 
and stores all of which improves the local economy as a whole.
  And CDBG funds have given 1400 families in Franklin County, Ohio 
access to clean, safe drinking water--a project that would have been 
nearly impossible otherwise because local revenues were just not 
available.
  I'm proud to say that Franklin County continues to leverage $5.30 for 
infrastructure development for every dollar of CDBG funding it 
receives, but with the draconian cuts to CDBG contained in this bill, 
there's simply no way that we can make up the difference.
  That's why the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the National 
Housing Trust, the Community Development Finance Authority, the 
National Association of Counties, the National Association of 
Development Organizations, the YWCA, Rebuilding Together, the National 
Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the American 
Planning Association, and the Council of State Community Development 
Agencies have all written in strong support of CDBG funding and the 
programs it sustains.
  And yet, here we are considering an appropriations bill that would 
literally cut the program in half.
  The proposed funding level would be less than when CDBG was first 
authorized in 1974.
  This would tip many low- to moderate-income Americans over the brink 
into poverty and would negatively impact our communities and our 
country.
  So I stand here today--with my colleagues--strongly opposed to the 
funding level cuts contained in this appropriations bill.
  The Chairman of the T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, Representative 
Latham, has said ``cutting over $7 billion in programs was very 
challenging.''
  I say this to my Republican colleagues, if cutting these programs was 
hard--I can assure you, the children, seniors, and families directly 
helped by CDBG programs will have a much more challenging time dealing 
with the effects of over $7 billion in cuts.
  I urge opposition to this bill.

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