Section 8: pressure mounts
World War II submarine movies always have the Deep Pressure moment: the crew watching the depth gauge spin upwards, into the red. The hull groans. A bolt, stressed beyond endurance, sheers off and goes ricocheting loudly off the steel casing. A pipe bursts, and the crew starts shouting in panic:
That kind of stress is now hitting the Section 8 voucher program, as …
… continuing budgetary pressure is causing funding to spring links, such as in New York City, where, according to today’s New York Times:
In all, 492 out of an estimated 2,500 housing agencies that issue vouchers have asked for more money, said Donna White, a spokeswoman for the federal housing department.
The budget pressure will be nationwide:
President Bush’s budget for 2006, expected early next month, will reportedly include cuts in Section 8 and other housing programs.
None of this should be a surprise. Last summer, the Administration announced its plans to freeze discretionary spending, saying:
[I]f President Bush is reelected, his budget for 2006 may include spending cuts for virtually all agencies in charge of domestic programs, including education, homeland security and others that the president backed in this campaign year.
The hull is creaking; the bolts are whizzing; the crew is getting wide-eyed.
And the pressure, rather than ceasing, continues to build up.
