Mayors Gather to Celebrate 40 Years of Community Development Block Grant Funding

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Mar 12, 2014, 11:33 ET

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Newton, MA Mayor Setti Warren, U.S. Conference of Mayors Community Development and Housing Committee Chair, will lead a delegation of U.S. Mayors on Thursday, March 13^th at 2pm to celebrate the success of the Community Development Block Program (CDBG) and to explain the importance of the Grants by providing specific examples of how they are used in their communities. Mayors oppose the cut $200 million cut slated for the program in President Obama's FY 2015 Budget, and believe continued support at current funding levels is critical.

The mayors are concerned that the President's budget, while touting an Opportunity Agenda that Works for All, does not take into account how critical CDBG funds are for this nation's most vulnerable, including children and senior citizens. CDBG dollars are used to fund daycare programs for young people, meal programs for seniors and housing for the homeless. In a nutshell – CDBG is THE PROGRAM used to help to help our communities recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Since signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1974, the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) has become the most important federal-city partnership over the last four decades. It is the most targeted and flexible stream of federal dollars allocated directly to cities, and is a proven job creator as the funds are also used to leverage private dollars for small business and economic investment.

Yet, despite its success, the program has been cut by more than twenty-five percent since fiscal year 2010. And, now, the program is once again on the chopping block in the President's FY '15 budget from $3 billion to $2.8 billion – particularly at a time when our vulnerable residents need it most.

WHAT: U.S. MAYORS TO CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM & EXPRESS OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED CUTS

WHEN: Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: USCM HQ – 1620 I St, NW | 4^th Floor | Washington, D.C. 20006

The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. The primary roles of the Conference are to promote the development of effective national urban/suburban policy; strengthen federal-city relationships; ensure that federal policy meets urban needs; provide mayors with leadership and management tools; and create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information. www.usmayors.org

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SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors