Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014

Floor Speech

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, this appropriations measure fails at every level to meet our Nation's transportation infrastructure needs, support our States' housing initiatives, or further our community development goals.

I would like to take a moment to highlight a few of the most egregious cuts in the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill before us today because it's important for my constituents in Rhode Island to hear exactly what's being proposed here today.

We all recognize clearly that some cuts in Federal spending are unavoidable. In certain cases, they're even desirable in the current budgetary environment. But this bill goes far beyond what's reasonable by reneging on the spirit of the agreed-to spending levels in the Budget Control Act. The cuts in this bill to the Community Development Block Grant program, the HOME grant, and transportation investments endanger the well-being of America's cities and towns, as well as our residents.

Expanding economic opportunities and creating jobs continue to be my top priorities in Congress. It's exactly what this Nation needs right now. It's certainly what we need in Rhode Island, given the fact we have the fourth highest unemployment rate in the Nation. Regrettably, this bill achieves neither of these goals. The Congressional Budget Office estimated just last week the sequestration would result in 1.6 million fewer American jobs by the end of September 2014. Yet my Republican colleagues have decided to double down on this reckless policy by crafting the T-HUD bill with the assumption that sequestration remains in effect.

These cuts translate into real jobs and real benefits to our communities. Just 2 weeks ago, I celebrated a $10 million Federal TIGER grant award that will be used to help Rhode Island replace the aging Providence Viaduct. It's part of the I-95 corridor that goes right through the center of Providence. This bill eliminates the TIGER grant program.

In April, our State Department of Transportation unveiled plans to improve the Providence Amtrak station. The station serves over 1 million Amtrak and commuter rail passengers each year, benefiting our entire State, as well as neighboring ones with multimodal connections from Providence to the Boston metropolitan area. This bill cuts Amtrak funding by 33 percent, endangering further improvements to important interstate transportation infrastructure.

In June, Rhode Islanders celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 618. Their 1,000 members take us to school, work, to the doctor, and to the grocery store quickly and safely every day. Public transportation decreases congestion, pollution, and individual fuel costs; it connects us to recreation, family, and community; and it creates jobs in the short term, while supporting careers over the long term. This bill cuts transit funding by 17 percent from last year.

It also delivers a 25 percent cut to the Housing Counseling Assistance Fund, which helped over 2,000 Rhode Island families last year stay in their homes, avoid foreclosure, or refinance their mortgage. This bill would cut the HOME program by $300 million, a 30 percent reduction from pre-sequestration levels. HOME is a critical resource that's used to develop affordable housing for those who need it most. It has resulted in over 4,200 units in Rhode Island alone being created.

Meanwhile, homeless families, the most vulnerable among us, once again will feel the full brunt of the majority's misplaced priorities. In 2012, over 4,800 Rhode Islanders found themselves homeless, one-quarter of them children. The State homeless assistance programs depend on Federal support to operate shelters to help move people to a permanent housing solution; yet H.R. 2610 does not come close to adequately funding these programs, placing thousands of Rhode Island families in even further jeopardy.

By cutting the administrative fund for section 8, this bill seeks to undermine the very integrity of that program. Those seeking housing assistance vouchers will find agencies understaffed, underfunded, and unable to serve the millions who depend on section 8 to stay in affordable housing. This is outrageous.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, this bill cuts the CDBG program by almost 50 percent, an unacceptable and draconian move that will cripple the neighborhoods that need the most help. These grants are the cornerstone of local investment opportunities. For every dollar spent on CDBG grants, $3 is leveraged from private, nonprofit, and other non-Federal funding sources. The organizations working with CDBG funds use them for employment services, homeless assistance, child care, senior care, mental health outreach, and countless other services. I'm sad to see that the committee has decided that this is not worth the investment.

This bill is misguided, and I hope we will rethink this. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

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