Mayor Michael Nutter and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey railed yesterday against U.S. House budget cuts that would slash the Community Development Block Grant program by 66 percent. If approved by the U.S. Senate, the bill would cost Philadelphia $36.5 million for a program that addresses “foreclosure prevention, housing and economic opportunity.”
Casey said peers need to consider the consequences of potential cuts, and noted there are many other places to cut, including duplication of services, the Pentagon budget and contracting reform.
“The idea that the only way to reduce spending is on the back of our vulnerable citizens, on cities struggling to make ends meet, just doesn’t add up and just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
