This was a vote on an amendment (to transportation, housing, and urban affairs legislation) that would have eliminated a $40 million initiative for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide technical assistance for states, cities, and nonprofit organizations for using HUD funding effectively.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), the author of the amendment, urged members to support it: “Now, let me get this straight. We're going to spend $40 million, money that we don't have, to train communities on how they can spend our money. I would think that if we are going to send money to a community that we would know what the money is for, that the community would know what it's for, and that spending $40 million to train them on how to spend our money is a giant waste of time. I urge my colleagues to support the elimination of the Transformation Initiative and save our kids and grandkids $40 million.”

Rep. John Olver (D-MA) urge opposition to the amendment: “The bill before us includes $40 million for HUD to provide technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, cities, States on how to use HUD funding efficiently and effectively. The amendment removes every penny, every penny, of this technical assistance funding from HUD. It is a meat axe amendment. Cutting funding for technical assistance does nothing but make the programs less effective…In fact, technical assistance is the only way that communities can increase their capacity and improve program delivery to their vulnerable populations who need assistance.”

The House rejected Boehner’s amendment by a vote of 206-217. 165 Republicans and 41 Democrats voted “yea.” 214 Democrats – including a majority of progressives – and 3 Republicans voted “nay.” As a result, the House rejected an amendment to a transportation and housing bill that would have eliminated a $40 million initiative for HUD to provide technical assistance for states, cities, and nonprofit organizations for using HUD funding effectively.