Transportation, HUD

Congressman David Price (D-NC), Chair of the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcomittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's hearing on "The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Management of Housing Contracts During the Shutdown":

Welcome, everyone, to the first THUD Subcommittee hearing of 2019.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased that we are beginning consideration of HR 4745, the FY 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

I want to thanking Chairman Latham for his work on this bill. He has been a good friend and great Chairman over these last few years and I have enjoyed working with him.

I also want to thank the staff on the majority and minority side. They have worked well together over these last few months.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

First, I would like to thank Mr. Latham and Mr. Pastor for including language in the manager's amendment that designates some unexpended funds at the FRA for activities related to improving the rail transport of energy products like crude oil.

I appreciate the efforts of the Chairman and Ranking Member to put this bill together. Their job was made all the more difficult by a much lower than expected FHA and Ginnie Mae receipts.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

I want to thank you for listening to our concerns and for keeping an open dialogue as we have moved through the process.

The Chairman received a tough allocation. On paper, it looks like the allocation is nearly $1.2 billion higher than last year. Don't be deceived.

Because of the sharp differences between OMB and CBO's receipt estimates for the FHA program, this bill is actually $1.8 billionlower than the FY 2014 bill.

I would like to thank Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor and welcome Secretary Foxx.

First, I want to commend the work of Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor who have both announced that this will be their last Congress. Iowa and Arizona along with this Committee have benefitted greatly from their service. They will be sorely missed.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement on President Obama's FY 2015 budget request:

"The FY2015 budget and appropriations process offers Congress its best opportunity in years to reject the politics of brinkmanship and crisis management, and instead fulfill our responsibility to invest in our future, create and protect jobs, and support services on which American families rely.