Written by Jessica AcMoody, Senior Policy Specialist
As you may be aware, there was an article in the Washington Post this morning summarizing leaked documents from the Trump Administration that call for a 14% cut to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that you can read by clicking here. The article points out that the cuts call for elimination of HOME, CDBG and many similar HUD block grants, as well as steep cuts to housing voucher programs. At this time it is unclear if the proposed cuts will be included in the president’s final budget proposal.
In addition, several other programs, including the Corporation for National and Community Service (the department that funds AmeriCorps and VISTA), are being considered for elimination. We cannot stress how important it is to let your legislators know how these programs impact your communities.
What can we do?
CEDAM will continue to monitor the situation and keep our members informed as things progress. We urge you to have ongoing communication with your Congressional delegation and continue to educate them on how these programs are used in their district, even if you already know where they stand on our priorities. You can find contact information for Representatives here, and Senate contact information here.
CEDAM, in collaboration with the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Michigan Community Action, is hosting an Advocacy Day March 16 in Lansing. We encourage you to register here and learn more about how to advocate on your organization’s behalf.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance to you in any way. Please contact Jessica AcMoody at acmoody@cedamichigan.org if you need any additional assistance in making contact with your Congressional offices, or Jamie Schriner-Hooper at jamie@cedamichigan.org with any other concerns.
Thank you for your attention to these matters.
If you have a topic or idea that you think could make a great CEDAM blog post, please contact Kaylee Kellogg at kellogg@cedamichigan.org.