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TAKE ACTION

So what can I do?

You can take a moment to urge your Congressional members to prevent cuts in funding for these important programs, and to increase funding for the EPA Smart Growth program to $7 million, (a program which has been level-funded for several years.)

Below is a sample e-mail that you can send to your Congressional members, urging them to restore funding for important community development programs in this year's budget cycle. You can look up your House representatives here and your Senators here.

Do you want to take part in helping to influence federal policy on a regular basis? There are two things you can do:

(1) Sign up for our newsletter and especially our Action Alerts, which will help you stay informed and give you an opportunity to engage as important developments occur. Click here to sign up today.

(2), you can track our Federal policy work on our general action page, which is full of resources and fact sheets to equip you as you write letters, emails, or set up meetings with your members of Congress. Click to visit our policy "action" page.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear XXXXX,

I'm writing to urge you to protect funding for affordable housing, public transit, and community development programs in the FY09 federal budget. As you may know, the President's budget proposal cuts funding for many of these programs, which provide critical support revitalizing communities in our state.

[ADD SPECIFIC STATE AND LOCAL EXAMPLES HERE TO PERSONALIZE YOUR LETTER ]

In particular, the administration proposes a 22% cut in funding for the Community Block Development Grant (CDBG) program, a 10% cut in funding for the Department of Transportation, and the elimination of the HOPE VI affordable housing program. Perhaps most troubling is the administration's proposal to transfer $3.2 billion from public transportation funds to highway projects in the event of a fiscal shortfall. While there is serious need for fixing the nation's highway system, it should not come at the expense of providing efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternatives to driving for Americans.

As Congress crafts its FY09 budget, I encourage you to not just maintain, but to increase funding for these programs, which are important tools for creating livable, sustainable, and successful communities. In particular, I urge you to support funding the EPA Smart Growth program at $7 million, an increase of $4 million from its current budget. This program provides critical research and technical assistance to help communities meet today’s development, energy, transportation, and other challenges.

Sincerely,

XXXXX

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