• $275 million from the fiscal year 2000 voucher account and failure to fund the $400 million increase needed to renew all current vouchers;
  
  
• elimination of 120,000 new rental assistance vouchers;
  
  
• $100 million from Community Development Block Grants that invest in a broad range of community projects;
  
  
• $75 million from homeless assistance programs;
  
  
• $50 million from the HOME program to expand homeownership;
  
  
• $50 million from programs to revitalize public housing;
  
  
• $37 million from a new initiative called American Private Investment Corporation, part of President Clinton and Speaker Hastert’s agreed-upon plan designed to spark economic development;
  
  
• $35 million from Drug Elimination Grants for public housing developments;
  
  
• $28 million to help more than 5,000 people with AIDS get housing; and
  
  
• $6 million from programs to fight housing discrimination and ensure equal access to housing for all Americans.
  

According to Mayor Coles, "cities face many challenges, particularly in the areas of affordable housing, and community and economic development. We still have neighborhoods and families who have not participated in the economic recovery. We owe children in these communities stable and healthy neighborhoods. I call on Congress to restore the $2.5 billion to HUD’s budget so that we can continue to build stronger communities for the American people."Mayor Masiello noted that Buffalo, New York state’s second largest city, is "poised to take its place among the significant city giants of the 21st century," in part because of the common sense budgets of recent years. "Buffalo is making the most of this unprecedented period of prosperity," the mayor said. "The budget cuts that have been announced will impact each and every member of our community and are tantamount to damaging neighborhoods throughout a city long known as the "City of Good Neighbors.’"

Cuomo said that the House version of HUD’s budget is $2.5 billion less than the President’s request and includes no new housing vouchers. "We already have plenty of studies on affordable housing in this country, and they all say the same thing: housing needs are at an all-time high," Cuomo said. "We don’t need another study. What we need is new housing, but unfortunately, the House budget doesn’t provide any."The Senate version is not that much better, Cuomo lamented, because the Senate bill cuts $1.8 billion from the request. Unfortunately, the Senate bill did not include HUD’s new housing production program. However, the Senate has acknowledged the need for such a program through its $1 billion proposal. Cuomo characterized the Senate version, however, as "too little, too late." He added that it does not identify the source of the funds for new housing production, and like the House bill, contains no funds for new vouchers.