Political Quotes

“The purpose of my amendment is to put the House on record in support of strengthening HUD's oversight of public housing. Many of my colleagues may have never heard of Cairo, Illinois, or what took place at the Alexander County Housing Authority, but they should. An investigation by The Southern Illinoisan newspaper discovered a public housing agency plagued with corruption and mismanagement. Residents lived in unsafe, unsanitary conditions, with mold, rodents, and broken air ducts that allowed for the creation of black mold-- public housing that was not suitable for any human being to live in. The problem was so bad that many of the buildings had to be demolished. {time} 1645 Residents were forced to move far from Cairo. All the while, the housing authority's senior leadership was cashing in. Officials received excessive pay and benefits, large pensions, lavish travel expenses, and a big consulting contract for a former director; all of this paid for with taxpayer money. These problems did not occur overnight. It took decades of corruption and neglect. The Federal regulators were asleep at the switch. Despite the terrible living conditions, HUD inspectors gave a passing grade to the Alexander Housing Authority on several occasions. HUD failed to properly audit the financials. If they did, they would have taken action before conditions became a crisis. Last year, HUD Office of Inspector General issued a report on failures in Alexander County.…”