Cities Give President's Budget a Mixed Review

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Feb 14, 2011, 02:34 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National League of Cities (NLC) issued the following in response to President Obama's budget announcement today:

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While NLC supports the President's call for new transportation infrastructure and technology investments, we are disappointed in the President's decision to cut funding for important local programs, like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, in his FY 2012 budget request.

For over 30 years now, the CDBG program has been a significant catalyst for financing housing, water and sewer infrastructure and streets, and economic development in our communities.

While we agree that reducing the federal budget deficit over the next several years is imperative to the country's and our communities' fiscal well-being, cuts to this program and others will have little real impact on that goal. Unfortunately, the converse is true for the quality of life in and local economies of cities and towns. And, as the effects of the recession continue to play out in our cities and towns, the impact of these cuts on thousands of projects and programs at the neighborhood level, and the jobs supported by those projects, will be very real.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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SOURCE National League of Cities