Sean Patrick Maloney: “here we go again. Every year the Majority party underfunds affordable housing in the appropriations process and every…”

“here we go again. Every year the Majority party underfunds affordable housing in the appropriations process and every year the President and Secretary Cuomo are forced to negotiate for every last family in an omnibus bill. Unfortunately, it looks like we are headed down this road again. The VA-HUD bill before the House is cut $6.5 billion below the President's request and the President will rightfully veto this bill in its present form. Madam Speaker, we are hearing a lot about ``Compassionate Conservatism'' in the press--but there is no compassion in this bill. Programs under VA-HUD benefit some of our nations most needy citizens and this bill does them wrong. This bill provides no new funds for elderly housing, for homeless assistance grants, for Housing Opportunity for People with AIDS, or for Native American block grants. Madam Speaker, the people who benefit from these programs don't have high paying lobbyists representing them on Capitol Hill. They don't have 527 groups pushing their special interests. They are simply needy Americans who need housing assistance. Furthermore, this bill cuts public housing anti-drug programs and capital and operating grants $120 million below last year's level. Madam Speaker, this country spends far too many resources on putting drug offenders behind bars. Cutting drug prevention efforts in public housing just does not make sense.”