By: Jared King | The Navajo Post | June 20

WASHINGTON—On June 19, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) fiscal 2013 budget.

The committee approved by voice vote, the manager’s amendment, which calls for $51.6 billion in discretionary spending, a reduction of $3.9 billion below last year’s funding level and $1.9 billion below the president’s budget request.

The bill moves to the Rules Committee Thursday and then to the full House floor. A date has not been set for the full House floor vote.

According to discussion of the manager’s amendment, it only contained technical and minor changes to the bill, so the underlying appropriation subcommittee’s funding level for the Indian Housing Block Grants (IHGB), remains at $650 million for fiscal 2013.

The accompanying House draft committee report recommends limiting IHGB funding for 10 years.

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member John Olver, D-Mass., is retiring from Congress, but urged members to “invest in infrastructure” and “raise enough revenue to pay for these infrastructure needs.”

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rodgers, R-Ky., countered that the committee serves to “protect a vibrant and safe infrastructure,” but that their must be “stringent oversight without unnecessary funding.”