Posted on 09/14/2009 7:02:02 PM PDT by FromLori
A poverty-rights group that has drawn the ire of conservatives suffered another setback in Washington on Monday when the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to deny it access to federal housing funds.
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which helps poor people fight foreclosures and fix tax problems, has received more than $53 million in U.S. funds since 1994, but conservatives' charges of widespread fraud have begun to impact its reputation in the capital.
Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau told the group it did not want its help boosting participation in next year's census.
The Senate measure, which passed 83 to 7 in the Democratic-led chamber, was included in a must-pass spending bill that funds housing and transportation programs for the fiscal year that starts October 1.
"This is an opportunity for the United States Senate to stand up and say 'Enough is enough' just as the Census Bureau did," said Republican Senator Mike Johanns, the measure's sponsor.
The bill includes $165 million for housing-counseling programs and $4 billion to help poor communities weather the worst recession since the 1930s.
ACORN said the Senate's action was disappointing but would have little impact on its overall operations.
"The only real victims of today's vote are the families who have benefited from ACORN's important work," ACORN chief Bertha Lewis said in a statement posted on the group's website.
The House of Representatives passed a similar spending bill without restrictions on ACORN. The House and Senate must resolved differences before a final measure can be sent to Obama to sign into law.
Republicans say ACORN engaged in widespread fraud during the 2008 presidential campaign when it launched a massive voter-registration drive in minority communities, which typically support Democrats and ended up voting overwhelmingly for President Barack Obama.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Senate denies funds for criminal enterprise hiding behind poverty front.
Much better title.
This takes the cake for most biased reporting I’ve ever read (this week, anyway).
I saw this article earlier and decided not to post it because it was full of incoherence, dishonesty, and fallacies.
ACORN is a poverty group? Nice try. Like you said, it’s a criminal enterprise.
I don’t believe that the funds will be denied. I think this is theater for the masses. They’ll still get their money some other way. There are many backdoors.
Author and story both deserve a barf alert.
“Poverty Rights Group”
Sheesh. They are poverty pims and not actually out help anyone OUT of poverty.
Please send your feedback to the hack who wrote this article (I just did):
What’s up, AAC?
Good idea thanks.
...this is the best news I’ve heard in a while....ACORN is a criminal outfit...if only Lee Atwater were alive today!....what an political ad campaign he could craft out of ACORN....this stuff is gold and nobody in the Republican Party has the balls to use it.
Well, we now know how ACORN "fixes" tax problems. Wonder how they fight foreclosures?
Al Reuters is so dicgusting.
Poverty group? Oh yeah - their mission is to keep people in poverty.
So now ACORN is a poverty rights group? Give me a break! They should have RICO charges filed against them.
I agree though better news would be it was all said and done and they would never, ever get another dime but I thought at least it was a start. I realize the authors bias it is so evident but I just look beyond that for the wee bit of good news.
Nice, easy going evening. Watched Top Gear and now have greta in the background. You?
The Onion?
i hope they audit them
Cue up the sad gypsy violin music.
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