Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the amendment that Senator Jack Reed, Senator Thad Cochran, and I are offering would make very clear that none of the funds made available in this appropriations bill can be used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to direct a recipient of Federal funds to undertake changes to their zoning laws. There has been concern that some have brought up that a new rule that was issued last year by the Department would somehow allow HUD to be the national zoning authority for every neighborhood in our country. While I do not believe that is a correct interpretation of the fair housing amendment or regulation that HUD has promulgated, the Collins- Reed-Cochran amendment ensures that HUD cannot do that. It eliminates that possibility and ensures that communities will continue to make their own decisions to address these Federal requirements. By contrast, the proposal offered by my colleague from Utah, Senator Lee, would prohibit all funding for a rule that was issued by HUD based on a requirement that is included in the landmark civil rights era law known as the Fair Housing Act of 1968. It is important to know that this regulation was in direct response to a 2010 GAO report that criticized HUD's implementation of the requirement of the law that grantees, recipients of these funds, affirmatively enhance fair housing opportunities.…”