Disapproval regarding the discounts offered by the Trump administration: NPR

Lawmakers told Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday that there was little chance that Congress would accept Trump's administration plan of making cuts in programs. housing and development.

The President's budget for 2020 provides for the elimination of the Global Community Development Grants Program, the Social Housing Investment Fund and the HOME Grant Program for more affordable housing, which would allow for the completion of the program. Save over $ 7 billion over one year. But these programs are popular among lawmakers, especially local officials who say they desperately need money to help their low-income communities.

House Credit Committee Chair Nita Lowey of New York commented that the new housing budget of the administration echoed last year's proposal, which had been rejected by the House of Commons. the Congress on a bipartite basis. "This year, your proposal would include even deeper cuts and significantly reduce public housing and end most of the overall grants for community development.This would result in a growing number of people struggling to find affordable housing and increasing number of people becoming homeless, "she said.

The Republican representative of the HUD Credit Subcommittee, Florida representative Mario Diaz-Balart, warned Carson: "Like last year, we are unlikely to agree on many of the things you have advanced. "

Maine Republican Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate committee that oversees HUD spending, told Carson later in the day that she was "deeply troubled" by numerous proposals from the administration. . "Low-income households are facing a shortage of affordable housing across the country and in many places this shortage is reaching crisis levels," she said.

Carson reacted little but said his government wanted to provide safe, decent and affordable housing "while still being good stewards of taxpayers' money". He added that recent tax breaks to encourage investment in nearly 9,000 economically challenged communities – called opportunity zones – would replace some of the proposed cuts.

"All that all these programs that we have been putting in place for many years are doing, the Opportunity Zones are going to do the shovel, as if it's on steroids," he said. to the panel of the House. The administration estimates that areas of opportunity will attract more than $ 100 billion in private investment and create jobs, although some analysts have questioned the assistance provided to low-income residents.

House lawmakers also asked Carson about the state of disaster relief for Puerto Rico and other parts of the country that have suffered devastating damage from hurricanes, floods and gunfire. . HUD is providing these communities with billions of dollars to help them rebuild.

Subcommittee chairman David Price of North Carolina questioned Carson about reports that the White House has blocked aid to Puerto Rico because President Trump has not hidden his case. dissatisfaction with the government of the island and the way in which it uses money. On Monday, Trump tweeted that Puerto Rico "can not do anything right, the place is messy – nothing works." The HUD's inspector general's office announced last week that it would consider allegations that the White House has hindered the distribution of aid, which has been approved by Congress.

"To your knowledge, did you or anyone else at HUD have any conversations with the President, with the White House or with other officials on the administration? the deferral or diversion of disaster financing for Puerto Rico? " asked the price.

Carson replied, "No, but we have discussed how to make sure the money is paid for it and that it is used appropriately." He said that $ 1.5 billion had already been sent to the island and that an agreement providing for an additional $ 8.2 billion had been approved. Carson called reports that the administration is trying to block or slow down disaster assistance "completely inaccurate with respect to HUD funding".

Addressing the lawmakers, Mr. Carson also touched on carbon monoxide detectors, inspection notices and the next census count of 2020. Here are the highlights:

Carbon monoxide detectors: Carson announced that his agency would now inspect all public housing equipped with carbon monoxide detectors after the release of a dozen residents who died from carbon monoxide poisoning since 2003. , including two people in South Carolina at the beginning of the year.

Inspection Notice: Mr Carson said the HUD would notify the public housing authorities the delay of upcoming inspections 14 days in advance, instead of a much longer warning period, so to prevent them from concealing serious deficiencies in the buildings. Thousands of units in the country are in a serious state of disrepair. Housing authorities attribute the lack of federal funding.

Number of censuses: Carson said that an accurate census is a "very high priority" for his agency, which often distributes aid based on population and other demographics. When Carson told the Democratic representative of California, Pete Aguilar, that he "was not aware of anyone trying to reduce" a complete and accurate count, a questionable Aguilar replied: " Have you ever attended a cabinet meeting? " The Trump administration lobbied for the 2020 census to include a controversial citizen status issue, which many groups believe will discourage immigrants and others from participating in the decennial count.