Tenant group fighting potential HUD cuts calls on both Senators - sees Kerry as ally

[karynnj]

- Over 30 people - mainly residents of housing subsidized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and tenant organizations in the Save Our Homes Coalition - held a protest at the Bank of America on Cambridge St. on Saturday "to urge Sens. Scott Brown and John Kerry to tax the wealthy and big corporations"to prevent cuts to HUD that would displace thousands of Massachusetts tenants if enacted."

<snip>
The activists hoped that their action - and the series of similar actions around the US - would have an effect on Sen. Scott Brown’s votes on major proposed cuts to social services being passed repeatedly by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives in the current Congressional session. They view Sen. John Kerry as an ally in the fight to preserve such services, but are unhappy with Brown’s voting record on economic issues.

Kane said, “Sen. Kerry issued a statement recently supporting new revenues from the wealthy and big corporations. The Save Our Homes Coalition sent a letter to Scott Brown asking him to do the same. To date, he has not responded.

“Brown instead has called for deep spending cuts tied to the necessary raise in the debt ceiling. Unless there are also new revenues, this will mean drastic cuts to programs affecting the poor. We've invited Brown to a National Alliance of HUD Tenants conference forum in DC on June 21. So our rally was part of the process of trying to get Brown to step forward on this issue.”

(They have a statement from Kerry's spokesperson and note that Brown has not responded.)

http://www.openmediaboston.org/node/1869