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Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment which would increase funding for a program critical for the development of our local communities.
The Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, has been essential to helping our local communities address critical needs and improve residents' quality of life. Many of these communities struggle to find funds to improve lower-income or underutilized areas, and the CDGB is a lifesaver for these towns.
In my home State of West Virginia, this program has funded critical sewer and infrastructure projects, improving residents' health and their quality of life. More than 92,000 West Virginians have benefited from $71 million in Community Development Block Grants over the last 5 years. It is invaluable to rural States like West Virginia.
Despite its proven track record, funding for the CDBG program has been cut every year. As we prioritize programs in this appropriations bill, it is my belief that the CDBG program and the residents it helps should be considered a priority. In this era of fiscal restraint and responsibility, we must use taxpayer dollars where they can have the most impact, and my amendment would increase the CDBG by $100 million, redirecting $100 million from the troubled HOME program.
This redirection makes my amendment budget-neutral. While the HOME program has had some success, the evidence shows it is a program struggling from dubious oversight that has been slow to adapt to improvements that have been suggested by the Government Accountability Office.
States are not even using all of their HOME funds. Last year, HUD recaptured $16 million from States who didn't spend the funds that were granted. In the State of West Virginia, HUD has recaptured millions of dollars, and HUD officials have told me that the HOME program is scheduled to have even more funds recaptured due to inactivity.
It is clear that the HOME program has more than enough money, and we should be reallocating these funds towards programs that work, like the CDBG. It is a vital program, and I ask my colleagues to support my amendment.
I yield to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley), who is a staunch supporter of CDBG.
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Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for his support. We know, in rural States like West Virginia, how important this program is, not to fund entire projects, but to backfill and frontfill projects that absolutely would not get done without the great help of the communities joining together and using the CDBG funds in the proper and right fashion to enhance the quality of life for so many across this country.
With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
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