Broun Introduces $600 Million in Spending Cuts to Transportation, HUD Appropriations Bill

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., today said he offered more than $600 million in targeted spending cuts to the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.

“We as a nation are saddled with an incredible amount of debt, and yet Washington continues to spend money we do not have,” Broun said in a statement. “I introduced six common-sense amendments to the THUD spending bill in an effort to tackle our nation’s spending problem, while still allowing many of our current priorities to move forward as planned. In fact, many of my amendments were merely requests to hold the line – to keep funding level, without expanding government programs and spending more.

“In a time of fiscal emergency, is it too much to ask that we not increase spending from last year’s levels? Sadly, this request was deemed to be unreasonable by many of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, alike,” Broun added. “As we work through the annual appropriations process, Georgians can rest assured I will continue to take a stand for fiscal sanity and fight for common-sense savings in Washington.”

Broun’s proposed cuts included:

• A $340 million reduction for operating grants to Amtrak, which failed by a voice vote.
• A $34 million, or 10 percent reduction to reduce Amtrak operating grants, which failed by a vote of 154-248.
• A $1 million reduction to Amtrak’s Office of the Inspector General, which failed by a vote of 130-295.
• A $7 million cut to the Rental Housing Assistance account of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which failed by a vote of 143-283.
• A $200 million reduction from the Community Development Block Grant program, which was $200 million above the President’s $2.8 billion budget request. This amendment failed by a voice vote.
• A $20 million reduction, or 10 percent cut in funding for the Community Development Block Grant program, which failed by a vote of 134-288.