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Rep. Bobby Scott tours Newport News public housing complex

Posted at 10:18 AM, Apr 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-17 21:22:51-04

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Rep. Bobby Scott toured the Marshall Courts pubic housing complex on Monday morning.

His tour followed a meeting with representatives of the Housing Authorities of Hampton Roads, where Scott discussed possible funding cuts for federal housing under the Trump administration's proposed budget, Scott's office said.

"It's a matter of priorities. What are you spending your money on? Are you spending it on tax cuts primarily given to the wealthy? Or you can provide assistance to people in transition," Scott said.

Trump's budget proposes cutting more than $6 billion from the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Budget officials say the money will be budgeted in a different way, but for now housing officials say they're looking at nearly a 70% budget cut on construction projects.

"If we're not able to house people and they become homeless, then people need a lot more services than they do as a family living in an apartment," said Karen Wilds, the executive director of the Newport News Redevelopment Housing Authority.

Apartments at Marshall Courts are being renovated, but Wilds says this budget plan would delay the renovation's completion. "It's very discouraging," she said.