The Nation's Public Housing Chief Says There's A Battle Going On
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan (podium) told a Philadelphia audience, this week, that the challenges of public housing are part of a larger, fundamental debate over what kind of country the U.S. wants to be.
Donovan spoke at the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's annual community development conference.
The conference explored problems facing older cities and Donovan's keynote address focused on Urban Development initiatives, prompting one attendee to ask.
"Is this diverting funding to the UD, away from the H?"
Donovan said, no, BUT, he said, all HUD fund is endangered by partisanship in Washington.
"We have a fundamental debate going on and what happens within the HUD budget is completely dependent on the broader choices we make as a country about what kind of country we want to be, what our values are."
Donovan says the Obama administration's position in the debate is clear.
"We can't balance this country's budget on the backs of the poor. All of us, particularly those who have done best in this economy, should be contributing to make sure that we have a balanced way of responding to our fiscal challenges."
