HOW HE SEES IT Cities will lose under Bush's budget

This week or next, Members of Congress may again take up debate on the federal government's Fiscal Year 2007 budget. If the budget bill that eventually emerges from that debate, however, resembles President Bush's plan, the city of Youngstown would be in danger of losing critical funding for many key community development programs.
Before Congress can spend federal funds it must pass an annual federal budget outlining where and how the government will spend the total amount of federal dollars for that year. Quite simply, the budget determines who gets a piece of the pie and how much they get. Will money go to fund more tax cuts or will dollars go to increasing the number of cargo containers inspected at U.S. ports? Will the federal government give more handouts to oil companies or provide funding assistance for cities like Youngstown? The annual federal budget sets these and other funding priorities, but it is the president who initially proposes what those priorities are to Congress. While his budget is only a request to Congress, it begins the debate for the nation's spending priorities and carries significant political weight -- even more so when the president's party controls both the Senate and the House, which is now the case.
So when President Bush submitted his budget request to Congress Feb. 6, I was alarmed to see him propose cuts of several billion dollars to key economic development and housing programs that Youngstown and its surrounding communities have long relied upon. At the national level, those funding cuts include a 26 percent reduction for housing for the elderly; a cut of almost 50 percent from a program that assists people with disabilities; a cut of 11 percent from the Public Housing Capital Fund; and the complete elimination of a program which funds efforts by cities to revitalize distressed public housing. But most devastating of all is a 21 percent reduction in the Community Development Block Grant program.
The slashing of CDBG funding is strongly opposed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Well aware that the CDBG program has already endured a 42 percent cut in real terms under President Bush, the mayors rightly view the latest proposal as the first step toward the complete elimination of the program, which the Bush administration attempted to do last year.
Mayor's vision
Youngstown is making great progress in revitalizing its downtown, and Mayor Jay Williams is to be commended for the new vision and enthusiasm for change he has brought to the city. But much of our recent success has been funded through the very programs that President Bush seeks to cut or eliminate. For example, Youngstown uses its CDBG funding to resurface city streets, demolish houses, and provide employment opportunities for city youths through the Park and Recreation Commission. Programs such as the Minority Business Enterprise, the Women's Business Enterprise, the Buy Into Youngstown program and community organizations such as McGuffey Centre also utilize Community Development Block Grants.
The president's budget proposal jeopardizes Youngstown's recent advances. However, I'm hopeful that my Democratic colleagues and I, by working with some moderate Republicans, will be able to restore the president's proposed cuts. That said, I know that federal funding alone is not the silver bullet for overcoming the challenges faced by Northeast Ohio. Creating a thriving local economy; retaining and attracting dynamic businesses and talented people; and building a new, better Mahoning Valley require not only new means of funding but new ways of thinking.
To sustain the kind of long-term revitalization effort necessary to turn our area around, our community will also have to rely on an attitude of hope, a commitment to civic service and an expectation of success. And just as we all have to make the choice between doubt and optimism, Congress -- when it votes on the 2007 Budget Bill -- will have to choose between the special interests that need favors and communities like Youngstown that just need a hand.
X Ryan, a Niles Democrat, represents the 17th Congressional District.