STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CUOMO ON SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ACTION ON HUD BUDGET

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today issued the following statement on action by the Senate Appropriations Committee on HUD's proposed budget:

"The bill reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday is a good step forward. With new Section 8 vouchers, this bill gets America back into the housing business after a long four-year hiatus. As long as housing records have been kept, fiscal year 1995 was the first year that housing production in America fell to zero. This bill will begin to move us back in the right direction.

In addition, initiatives such as the FHA loan limits increase, the increase in homeless funding, and the public housing reconstruction are an encouraging basis to build a solid, comprehensive housing agenda in conference.

I have had a positive and constructive dialogue with Subcommittee Chairman Christopher Bond and look forward to more productive discussions as we move through the legislative process."