Lowey Statement on House Consideration of 2014 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act

What a difference a year makes! Last year, Chairman Latham put forward a responsible bill that invested in our nation's infrastructure and took care of the housing needs of our most vulnerable citizens.  The bill we consider today, which is $7.7 billion below the FY 2013 CR level and $13.9 billion below the President's request, is a stark contrast.

What a difference a year makes! Last year, Chairman Latham put forward a responsible bill that invested in our nation's infrastructure and took care of the housing needs of our most vulnerable citizens.

The bill we consider today, which is $7.7 billion below the FY 2013 CR level and $13.9 billion below the President's request, is a stark contrast.

For example, last year's bill funded Amtrak's capital program at the highest level ever. This year's bill funds Amtrak at the lowest level in a decade, which will likely cause furloughs of mechanical employees and slower service.

Last year, the Chairman spoke against an amendment offered by Mr. Chaffetz to cut the CDBG program to $2.95 billion, still $1.3 billion higher than the level in this bill. Member after Member on the majority side spoke out against the cut, noting how important CDBG was to economic development in cities and States across the country. In fact, seventeen Republican appropriators, including Chairman Rogers and Chairman Latham, helped to defeat this wrongheaded cut by a vote of 157-267.

What changed? Have these programs grown ineffective? Have local infrastructure needs and homelessness disappeared? Or do House Republicans simply support raising local taxes to fund affordable housing and infrastructure investments?

Unfortunately, what has changed is that the reckless Republican Ryan Budget guts investments in domestic priorities that increase American prosperity. In fact, this bill alone would:

• Mean the loss of between 125,000 to 140,000 Tenant-Based Rental Vouchers;

• Cause 146,000 people who are now housed to become homeless; and

• Result in 7,110 fewer jobs created and $1.4 billion in lost economic output due to the $237 million rescission to the TIGER program.

Instead of investing in affordable housing to help people make the transition from dependency to independence and in infrastructure to fix deficient transporation systems and create jobs, Republicans would rather defund the Affordable Care Act, block grant Medicaid, and privatize Medicare, all while protecting subsidies for Big Oil and tax breaks for the very wealthiest Americans.

The Senate is currently marking up bills at the level to which Democrats and Republicans agreed in the bipartisan Budget Control Act. The Senate T-HUD bill provides a more responsible path that invests in job creation and assistance to families suffering in this economy. For example, the Senate provides nearly $10 billion more than the bill we consider today for infrastructure investments that have received strong bipartisan support and would create jobs, including:

- $1.45 billion to fund Amtrak;

- More than $3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program;

- $550 million for the TIGER grant program; and

- $1 billion for the HOME program.

If we are to avert a developing crisis and make progress on long-term fiscal challenges, Senate Democrats need a partner in the House majority to conference the budget.

The American people, local governments, and small business owners, want this budget stand-off to end so that we avoid shutting down the government in October and help them build a stronger economy. When will Republicans stop holding their livelihoods hostage to the Ryan budget?

House Democrats are prepared to work with our Republican colleagues to responsibly address our fiscal challenges. However, if they continue to move farther away from consensus by turning once bi-partisan bills like T-HUD into red meat messaging bills for their base, Congress will have a difficult time reaching a balanced agreement before the CR expires in two months. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.