The Department of Housing and Urban Development has made public all grant allocations to cities and states for FY 2012 for the CDBG, HOME and grants under Community Planning and Development.

Recall that Congress cut overall CDBG funding by nearly 12 percent and given the lack of agreement on how to address the federal budget deficit, the President’s 2013 is expected to contain additional reductions to many programs.

The 2013 budget recommendation is expected to be released the second week of February.  In the meantime, members are urged to speak with their congressional representative about the importance of such programs as CDBG and to adopt a resolution , already adopted by the Leage Board of Trustees, asking for bi-partisan cooperation and a balanced approach as they near these important decisions.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.