Bruce F. Vento: “I rise certainly in opposition to the warped rescission bill that we have before us. I appreciate my colleague from…”

“I rise certainly in opposition to the warped rescission bill that we have before us. I appreciate my colleague from Illinois [Mr. Porter] and our colleague from Delaware [Mr. Castle] attempting to try and mollify and to key dollars to some of the special programs. I know in the homeless youth education program that there is a small program here where he tries to. But I think as we look closely at the what is happening here, we are losing our focus. A gaping wound is cut and targeted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, public housing development. In fact, there is a drug rehabilitation program that is targeted for public housing that is eliminated in this rescission bill, and block grants. The bulk of these programs provide basic housing for Americans in dire need of assistance that virtually prevent and end homelessness for thousands of families and children, and keep our senior citizens in their own homes independent instead of in more expensive nursing homes and dependent. Mr. Chairman, I would just point out that this measure before us does precious little to deal with the deficit. In fact, as we know, the Republicans plan to use most of it for a tax cut for the well-off. And regrettably, the human deficit that continues to grow, the kids in poverty, the unemployed, the underemployed, the elderly, deeper and deeper the despair grows that pervades their lives; they live in the shadows. We ought to do better; we can do better.”