Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill. I urge my colleagues to support this measure and I would like to express my appreciation to Chairman Lewis and Mr. Stokes for crafting a bill that is both equitable and fair to veterans, homeowners and renters and supporters of cleaner environment. It is never an easy task to establish the right priorities and funding levels for the Veterans Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but the conferees appear to have done so once again. I would also like to express my appreciation for the spirit of compromise that was reached between the Administration, the authorizing committee and the appropriations committee on legislation that will substantially rewrite public housing programs. Last year the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Housing Opportunity and Responsibility Act, by a vote of 293 to 132. The public housing reforms contain key elements of H.R. 2, but are responsive to concerns raised by the administration and many low income housing groups. I am especially pleased to see that all parties agreed to retain tough screening and eviction procedures that cover not just public housing but privately-owned publicly assisted housing.”