WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Tuesday, July 11 at 1 pm ET, a bipartisan group of mayors representing the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) will host a press conference call to call on Congress to reject a White House proposal to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), which supports critical housing, infrastructure, and small business and economic development programs in communities across the nation. A House Subcommittee on Appropriations is scheduled to hold a markup later in the day on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget, which includes CDBG funding.
During the call, Mayors will point to critical projects funded under the CDBG program, including housing programs, infrastructure/community development, and social services. USCM has outlined the positive effects of CDBG projects in CDBG Works: How Mayors Put CDBG to Work, showcasing the impact of CDBG projects in over 120 cities.
As the most flexible stream of federal dollars allocated directly to local governments that are used for broad purposes, Community Development Block Grants touch the lives of nearly every American in some fashion. Administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, CDBG funds reach more than 7,000 rural, suburban and urban communities and support housing investments, public infrastructure improvements, enhanced public safety services, employment training, as well as services for seniors, youth and the disabled.
Most recently, USCM President New Orleans’ Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued a new policy proposal, Mayors’ Agenda for the Future, which called on the federal government to allocate additional resources directly to cities and counties through the CDBG program – stipulating that these additional funds be first used to invest in low and moderate-income neighborhoods to accelerate infrastructure improvements and make neighborhoods more “investment ready.” Such commitments to address street safety concerns and expand mobility options can help address income inequality, specifically by improving access to jobs and lowering household transportation costs.