House votes to restore some community housing grants

Her proposal cut HUD salaries and made cuts to other programs, and it was approved in a voice vote.

{mosads}Cuts to the CDBG program are among those that have led Democrats to criticize the HUD/transportation spending bill for 2014. Several Democrats argued that Republicans should be looking for ways to refill these programs by finding a way around the sequester, but the GOP has said sequester is law, and that it must pass bills in line with that law.

Capito’s language was one of several proposals that the House disposed of late Tuesday. One interesting proposal was from Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who offered language that would increase funding for HUD’s limited English proficiency program by $150,000, to $450,000.

Grayson suggested that Republicans should accept it in order to help their outreach to Hispanic voters, and the House accepted it in a voice vote.

Others amendments disposed of Tuesday night were from:

— Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), moving $3 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s executive office to field operations. Accepted in voice vote.

— Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), increasing funding for the Section 8 housing voucher program by $2 billion, without an offset. Killed in a point of order.

— Nadler, increasing funding for an AIDS housing program by $29 million. Withdrawn.

— Tom Latham (R-Iowa), making a technical correction to keep 2014 funding for rental assistance at 2013 levels. Accepted in voice vote.

— Paul Broun (R-Ga.), cutting rental housing assistance by $5 million. Rejected in voice vote.

— Al Green (D-Texas), adding $12 million to the fair housing program to fight discrimination. Withdrawn.

— Broun, cutting funding for Federal Maritime Commission salaries by $100,000, bringing it to 2013 levels. Accepted in voice vote.