Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant program, known as CDBG, and I recognize its tremendous contributions to the viability of American communities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development CDBG program provides funding to over 1,200 States, local jurisdictions, and ancillary areas across the United States. Since the creation of the program in 1975, HUD and Congress have invested more than $1.7 billion in job creation, building affordable housing, funding disaster recovery efforts, and supporting economic development and infrastructure projects, primarily serving low- to moderate-income populations. Notably, the CDBG program is the most flexible source of Federal funding to States, localities, and ancillary areas for economic and community development purposes. State and local governments work with their local program partners with input from the public to develop programs that are initiated, planned, and developed at the local level and meet national objectives. As a former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, Missouri's largest municipality, I know firsthand the importance of having a flexible Federal program that can meet unique local challenges. Due to its nature, CDBG is often layered with other HUD funds or used for gap financing to add the final necessary funds that make transformative community projects viable.…”