David Obey: “Mr. Chairman, as I told the gentleman earlier, we tried in the full committee to provide funding for CDBG. We were asked…”

“Mr. Chairman, as I told the gentleman earlier, we tried in the full committee to provide funding for CDBG. We were asked to withhold, and we have been. I will not press this issue to a vote as well, but let me simply suggest I do think there are some problems with the gentleman's amendment that are going to have to be fixed in conference. I do not understand, for instance, why it was necessary to make a permanent change in law, forcing the Secretary of HUD to waive the requirement that HUD's disaster assistance benefit only low and moderate income persons. I am also concerned about forcing the Secretary to waive the requirement to hold public hearings. I am also concerned about what appears to be an intent to allow HUD to make grants, not loans, to privately owned for-profit utilities. Lastly, I am concerned about what appears to be the intent of the amendment to change the longstanding process of assuring that CDBG funds can be used to assist businesses damaged by disasters, to the extent such businesses are declined loans by the SBA administration or because they need assistance above the SBA loan limits.”