Majority of senators oppose block grant cuts

Majority of senators oppose block grant cuts
Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:59 PM ET

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of U.S. senators oppose the Bush administration's request
to cut nearly $1 billion from Community Development Block Grants this year, signing a letter
to demand a $500 million increase.

The letter, signed by 53 senators -- 38 Democrats and 15 Republicans -- was sent to the
Senate Budget Committee's Republican chairman, Judd Gregg, and ranking Democrat, Kent Conrad,
last week. Reuters obtained a copy on Monday.

The signing senators declared their opposition to the White House's proposed 25 percent cut
in CDBG formula grants to about $2.8 billion, saying this would bring total program cuts
in the past three years to over a third, and leave some communities "devastated".

The Senate letter was matched by a similar letter signed by 177 members of the U.S. House of
Representatives, urging that the House provide "full funding for CDBG, at a level adequate
to meet the important and growing needs of our communities."