Dear Representative:
I am writing on behalf of the AFL-CIO to urge you to vote against the FY 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (“THUD”) Appropriations bill (H.R. 4820) scheduled for floor consideration this week.
H.R. 4820 would cut funding for critical transportation, infrastructure and housing programs by $26 billion below the 2023 enacted level, a reduction of over 28 percent. The bill would cut more than $7 billion from freight, rail, transit and port infrastructure projects, costing thousands of jobs and making it more difficult for Americans to commute to work and secure affordable housing. It will also slow the shipment of goods on which American families and businesses depend.
The bill includes a 64 percent cut in funding for Amtrak, slashing funding for the northeast corridor by 92%. Cuts of this magnitude will jeopardize the safety of both passenger and freight rail services, cause severe service reductions, delays in station improvement, and layoffs of rail service employees.
The bill also eliminates more than $2 billion for housing and community revitalization programs. It guts the sole federal program dedicated to affordable housing construction by 67 percent, resulting in nearly 17,000 fewer affordable homes built or rehabilitated this year, and rental assistance denied to 5,000 families.
An especially shortsighted provision would cut $25 billion from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that was included in the Inflation Reduction Act to improve customer service and step up tax collection from wealthy individuals who under-report their income. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this cut in IRS funding would reduce revenue by at least $51 billion, thereby increasing the deficit rather than shrinking it.
Finally, we urge you to oppose Representative Good’s amendment to eliminate prevailing wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act on projects funded by the bill. Prevailing wage requirements prevent a race to the bottom by encouraging employers to compete based on who can best train, best equip and best manage a construction crew– not based on who can assemble the cheapest, most exploitable workforce. For ninety years, Congress has applied prevailing wage provisions to federally assisted and there is no reason they should be tossed aside in this bill.
For all the reasons listed above, we urge you to vote against the THUD appropriations bill and bring to the floor a bill that represents a bipartisan solution that meets the pressing needs of American workers, their families and their communities.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs