Twenty-five Senators Ask for NHTF Funding in Senate Jobs Bill
National Housing Trust Fund
Memo to Members: Vol 15, No. 3, January 22, 2010
In a “Dear Colleague” letter initiated by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), 25 U.S. Senators wrote to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) on January 21 to request that $1 billion to capitalize the National Housing Trust Fund and $65 million for project-based vouchers to be coupled with NHTF grants be included in the “jobs” bill that the three Senate leaders are expected to make public next week. The request mirrors what was included in the House “Jobs for Main Street Act, 2010” that passed the House at the end of December.
The letter cited the number of jobs that would be created with this level of investment, using data supplied by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
In addition to Senator Reed, the letter was signed by Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Robert Casey (D-PA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Tom Udall (D-NM), Roland Burris (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Charles Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Carl Levin (D-MI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Begich (D-AK), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
A copy of the letter will be posted at www.nhtf.org
The National Low Income Housing Coalition hosted a national conference call on Tuesday, January 19 to update advocates on the status of NHTF funding in the Congress and NHTF regulations at HUD. A recording of the call is available at http://www.nlihc.org/audio/51467892.mp3 . Begin listening at 1:20 for the best quality.
