David Price: “This amendment indiscriminately cuts programs in transportation and housing with, apparently, very little thought as to…”

“This amendment indiscriminately cuts programs in transportation and housing with, apparently, very little thought as to the relative merit of the programs contained in the bill. The amendment would result in less affordable housing and less support for Habitat for Humanity, public housing, homeless veterans, housing, the elderly, the disabled, and the Department of Transportation and its agencies responsible for the safety of our roads, our bridges, our aviation, our pipelines, and our waterways. It would reduce funds available to pay the bills submitted by State and local governments for their transportation programs. These programs are the legal responsibility of the Federal Government. The base bill enables us to continue to make progress in restoring our infrastructure. This amendment would roll that back. This amendment would not encourage DOT or HUD to do more with less. It would force them to do less with less. Our colleague describes this as a modest amendment. Well, let me just ask how modest these cuts are for his home State of Wisconsin. Mr. Chair, is $3.1 million for CDBG funding, which could have been used to rehabilitate housing or improve water mains and sewers, a modest cut? $12.4 million in Wisconsin funding for CDBG dollars, the money that would be generated, is that modest? Or is $1.5 million in HOME funding in Wisconsin, $1.8 million in funding for transit in Wisconsin, or $1.3 million in funding for highway infrastructure in Wisconsin?…”