April 12, 1976
Page 10516
(The following colloquy occurred earlier in the proceeding and is printed at this point in the RECORD by unanimous consent.)
Mr. JAVITS. I ask the following of the distinguished manager of the bill:
At page. 50, with relation to item No. 450, a statement is made respecting State housing finance agencies. The statement would imply an exclusion of anything that might be done under section 802 of the Housing Act for such agencies. I understand the committee does not intend that implication. It simply is not providing for it in the budget resolution. But if within the overall provision for community and regional development the appropriate committees may desire to authorize and appropriate additional money for State housing finance agency guarantees and interest subsidies, that would remain permissible within the view of the Budget Committee. Is that correct?
Mr. MUSKIE. That is correct, may I say to my good friend from New York. The Budget Committee is not a line item committee and although it addresses itself to the particulars of budget functions in order to develop an overall judgment, it does not specify line items. The mandate of the budget resolution does not nail down line items.
Mr. JAVITS. The other question, Mr. President, relates to page 69, function No. 600, as to income security. There, a very large cut of $21 billion has been made in section 8 assisted housing programs, the reason being that the administration and the committee feel that we should not deal with new construction or rehabilitated housing, but should afford the subsidies to those who occupy existing housing. But it is well recognized that all of us may have a very different view if new construction and rehabilitation under section 8 assisted housing turns out to be what is necessary as I believe it still is and the Congress acts to provide for those purposes. Therefore, we ought to keep the matter under consideration until the second budget resolution and not conclude it here.
Do I understand the chairman of the Budget Committee agrees with that and feels that that can be settled as a committee purpose?
Mr. MUSKIE. That is correct. The Budget Committee did not approve or reject the concept to which the Senator refers. So if the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee should make that recommendation to the Senate, I think that is a decision which the Senate could take under advisement and especially consider it in connection with the second concurrent resolution.
Mr. JAVITS. I thank my colleague very much. I am very grateful to my colleague.
(This concludes the printing at this point in the RECORD of the foregoing colloquy which occurred earlier today.)