Mass. pols urge Bush not to cut block grant program

Banner Staff 

The Bush administration has proposed cuts to a federal program that has been a boon to low- and moderate-income communities, and several Bay State politicians are none too happy about it.

Though the U.S. Senate has already voted on the bill that includes the contested funds, President Bush wants to cut funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program — which provides money for local development and infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the United States, including Massachusetts — by $735 million, and he’s threatening to veto the Senate measure.

That threat has led Massachusetts Sens. John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy to “express disappointment” in a letter to the president.

“CDBG is a critical part of the Federal government’s efforts to help more than 1,100 entitlement cities, urban counties, and States meet the needs of low- and moderate-income communities,” the senators wrote. “CDBG … funds a wide range of activities, including homeownership assistance, housing rehabilitation, public improvements, public services, and economic development projects.”

The senators’ letter cites Department of Housing and Urban Development data showing that during the 2006 fiscal year, over 95 percent of CDBG funding was used in activities “principally benefiting low- and moderate-income families,” and that the grants have helped create and retain nearly 56,000 jobs, providing services to more than 11 million people.

“The CDBG program has made a difference in the lives of millions of people and their communities across Massachusetts and indeed the Nation,” the letter states. “We ask that you immediately reconsider your position.”

The senators used more heated language in public statements about the president’s plan.

Kerry said he was tired of Bush “short-changing Massachusetts cities and towns,” while Kennedy chastised the administration’s “hostility” to a program he called “a lifeline to our cities.”

“Mayors across Massachusetts depend on this funding to provide critically needed services that increase the quality of life of people who depend on it,” Kerry said.

One of those mayors — Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino — echoed the senators’ concerns.
“It would be a travesty and incredibly shortsighted of President Bush to veto the first increase in CDBG funding in many years,” said Menino in a statement, noting that the Bush administration has “tried every year to cut or even eliminate the program,” and that Boston’s annual block grant allocation has dropped by 20 percent since fiscal year 2001.