Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I have the greatest respect for the chairman of the subcommittee, and I believe if we had an allocation that was sufficient this subcommittee would not have chosen to make this cut. In the 1980s, we had a debate in this House and in this country about ways to make housing programs more efficient. I thought often that debate was mean-spirited. But the mantra was over and over again throughout those years, let us keep what is working and let us eliminate what is not. As a result, unfortunately, that meant cuts in the modernization program. It meant cuts in operating assistance. In 1988, Ronald Reagan famously said our barest responsibility to the residents of public housing is their safety, and the drug elimination program was born. Since that time, we have had nearly a 30 percent reduction in crime in public housing. The program has been a success. Now, you should not take my word for it, although when I was in the New York City Council I was the chairman of the Committee on Public Housing. Listen to what some Republicans have said.”