Housing: More Cuts for Section 8

Showing off more of its compassionate side, "The Bush administration is seeking to cut housing aid to poor residents of New York City next year," as part of a proposal which would reduce the value of vouchers for subsidized housing. The proposal includes plans for even bigger cuts for some urban areas in New England and could have a "significantly detrimental impact" on many of the 1.9 million families who participate in Section 8, the government's primary housing program for the poor. This means that as the Bush administration continues lobbying to make its tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, its policies may force poor families in some areas to pay hundreds of extra dollars per month in rent. According to a letter written by Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), "That extra burden could be too much for thousands of tenants, 'potentially leaving them homeless.' " [more ]