Delegation Urges HUD Secretary to Target CDBG Funds to Minot

Press Release

Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg today urged the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to direct disaster relief funding to Minot and other North Dakota communities impacted by spring flooding.

Later today, Congress is expected to give final approval to $400 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for states that have experienced severe natural disasters this year. Senators Conrad and Hoeven successfully pushed for the funding to be targeted specifically to the most impacted states, such as North Dakota, and Congressman Berg worked with House leadership and House members of the Conference Committee to ensure that the full funding and designation were included in the final legislation.

Today the Congressional delegation again pressed HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan -- who oversees the CDBG program -- to allocate a large share of the $400 million to Minot and other North Dakota communities for home buyouts or other flood recovery measures.

"We stressed again today the magnitude of the disaster that hit Minot and how important CDBG funding is to help the community rebuild. That is the message we delivered to the Secretary," the delegation said in a joint statement. "It needs to be crystal clear that this disaster funding is to be directed to Minot. The CDBG funding is absolutely essential to combine with FEMA funds and other relief to help Minot recover."

The Secretary told the delegation he will report back to them with a timeline for the funding allocation. This will allow disaster victims to plan accordingly for next year's building season.

Since this spring's unprecedented flooding, the Congressional delegation has been working to secure federal disaster relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Administration. The delegation has also been pressing for additional funding through the CDBG program.

The CDBG program represents the most flexible form of federal aid, allowing individual communities to determine how best to put these resources towards recovery. The delegation said the additional CDBG funding is critical to addressing the housing needs of thousands of North Dakota families impacted by the flooding.

Based on state damage estimates, the federal government will provide nearly $1 billion in assistance to North Dakota communities impacted by this year's flooding.

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