PA-Sen: Casey Calls on Administration to Increase CDBG Program

Written by Abby Smith, Contributing Writer

Sen. Bob Casey wants the president to “start off on the right foot” in the community development area of his upcoming budget proposal.

In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Casey announced he is calling on the administration to increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The Senator indicated he is sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget in hopes of impacting the proposed budget for the 2016 fiscal year.

President Barack Obama is expected to send his budget to Congress on Feb. 2.

The CDBG program extends funding to 47 Pennsylvania municipalities, who use the money for economic and community development. Projects include loans to small businesses, household rehabilitation, funding for community facilities and infrastructure improvements.

Since 2010, CDBG funds have decreased by $1.35 billion, forcing communities to discontinue projects, Casey noted. In 2009, Pennsylvania received $219 million in CDBG funds. By 2014, that number had decreased to $171 million.

Casey said the cut “doesn’t make any sense” and added that he’s “not sure who’s benefitting from” it.

“I hope the administration will put in their budget the kind of spending levels that Pennsylvania used to enjoy as little as four years ago,” Casey said.

Despite what the president recommends, Casey acknowledged that Republicans in the House and Senate will try to cut the CDBG budget even further. He urged his Republican colleagues to be more supportive.

“I would hope my Republican colleagues would be more supportive because you can find very few programs in the federal budget that seem to be very much consistent with the philosophy that folks at the local level know how to spend money more efficiently,” Casey said.

January 13th, 2015 | Posted in Front Page Stories, Senate, Top Stories | 3 Comments