In response to the announcement this morning from House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) that nonprofits are no longer eligible for Community Project Funding (earmarks) in the Economic Development Initiative (EDI) account, Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, released the following statement:
“The discriminatory exclusion of nonprofits from future Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) earmarks announced this morning by Chairman Cole threatens the public’s health and wellbeing. Under this new restriction, vital funding that Members of Congress know their constituents need for domestic violence shelters, food banks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, youth and senior centers, affordable ready-to-build housing, and more that the public relies on nonprofits to deliver will be denied. Seeking to stop funding from going to a few groups that some Representatives may disagree with by issuing a blanket ban against funding for all nonprofits will tear away needed funding from organizations that their constituents depend on. Not only will those seeking services suffer, but removing those funds will also mean putting constituents employed by those nonprofits out of work. We urge Chairman Cole and those on the Appropriations Committee to reverse course before causing this irreparable harm to communities across the country.”
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