Washington, DC
June 30, 2006

Congress is about to have a recess and this year it has been a little more unusual, to say the least, than in recent memory.

Following our Winter Meeting in January, it was clear to us and others here in Washington that our efforts would be purely defensive, that is, protecting cities from harm and attack. And together we have defended you on three fronts.

First The Community Development Block Grant program at HUD (CDBG). The Administration moved to eliminate it last year and with the help of all of you and our Democratic and Republican friends in Congress, we prevailed. We won. We thought they wouldn’t come at us again. But OMB this year moved to cut us by one-third and we have had to fight back and we are now focusing on the appropriations for the program. As we move to keep adequate funding levels, OMB has proposed formula change that would cut funds for over 300 cities. We are not focusing on formula changes. Instead we are focusing on the appropriations. That was the consensus of the Executive Committee conference call last week, chaired by our President, Dearborn Mayor Mike Guido. Contact Gene Lowe, Assistant Executive Director at 202-861-6710 for the latest information.

Secondly, we are doing everything we can to protect you on the Telecom issues. Local authority and, just as important, revenues and financial resources, lots of money, are at stake. This is a tough ongoing struggle. Together we are working with other local government organizations. Contact Ron Thaniel, Assistant Executive Director at 202-861-6711 for the latest update.

The use of eminent domain is the third challenge that Congress has given us through legislation on the House side that would block the use of federal funds if used for eminent domain. Throughout all of our leadership meetings this year, the eminent domain issue has brought forth major concern from all mayors. Mayors continue to argue that we have used this power in a most judicious manner. The publicity around the New London case has stirred up property rights organizations from the political right and left, and unfortunately mayors and local governments are thrown right in the middle of weighing property rights versus economic development for the citizens as a whole. Aside from the local council fights, in the United States, the House of Representatives here in Washington has voted and waded in in a most presumptive fashion attempting to preempt State and local laws and decisions that are needed in the best interest of the economic development and job opportunities for all citizens. For information on this action, contact Larry Jones, Assistant Executive Director at 202-861-6709.

While we defend these attacks on local governments, Congress announced two weeks ago that the institution of marriage was being attacked. And in the middle of the energy crisis, Katrina relief, bird flu warnings, the Congress proclaimed that the institution of marriage was under attack and due to the attack on marriage, they fought back by scheduling a vote on an amendment to the Constitution to ban same sex marriages and protect the institution of marriage.

Issues were raised also on this issue by Hendrick Hertzberg writing in The New Yorker this week citing divorce over the past 40 years as the biggest threat to marriage in what he terms “an epidemic of heterosexual divorce” He cites Massachusetts with the lowest divorce rate as the only state where gay marriage is legal. He also reminds us that the day after the Senate vote in its attempt to protect marriage, there appeared a story in USA Today reporting the number of active-duty soldiers getting divorced has risen sharply with soldiers going to Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2003, the year of the invasion of Iraq, the divorce rate among enlisted personnel has increased 28 percent. For officers, the increase has skyrocketed to 78 percent. Hertzberg suggests that President Bush should look into this rather than the imaginary threat that same sex marriage has on the institution of heterosexual marriage.

In addition to the institution of marriage being attacked, Congress also decided last week that the flag was under attack and time was spent to protect the flag from desecration and attack. This issue causes heartburn, passion and hysteria across all political sides. The proposed amendment, which would have been sent to the States for ratification to become the 28th Amendment, fell by a single vote. But it was appropriate for the Senate Leadership to bring it up and stir it up on the week before they went home for the 4th of July recess.

And it seems that every few weeks, Congress brings up the Iraq War so they can talk about the “cut and run” crowd.

All these issues take a lot of time from the Congressional calendar.

So much needs to be done on the domestic front for our cities large and small and for our people. It is not being done in this Congress in Washington.

Mayors have been out there on so many issues and progress is being made on the energy and environmental front. Mayors are fighting street crime. Mayors are concerned about gangs and gun violence. Mayors are concerned about a lack of rails policy. Traffic is killing us.

Today there is a “mismatch” between what Congress is doing and what our Mayors are doing. We are being attacked on Telecom issues, CDBG cuts, eminent domain use and other issues. But we know that the people are with us. People in our cities, large and small, are working with our mayors and other groups to change their cities, their metropolitan areas in our nation and get us all ready as we face the energy and environmental issues of the future and strive everyday to make us more competitive with the work forces of other nations around the world. The people are with us on our issues.

The House Leadership announced this week that it plans votes this Summer on a same sex marriage amendment, abortion rights, internet gambling, property rights and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Everything is under attack these days — CDBG, the flag, the institution of marriage, cities and telecom relationships and the use of eminent domain. Its Attack! Attack! Attack! They went home for a while. Then the rains came and Washington was flooded. What next? Let’s hope for sunshine soon — now and also in November in Washington.