WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. By John F. Bailey. March 9, 2005: Norma Drummond, Deputy Commissioner of Planning for Westchester County told the CitizeNetReporter today that the Bush Administration plan to shift Community Block Grants is opposed by 55 U.S. Senators. She noted that there is no information on the details of  what the Bush Administration standards will be that will determine what cities and towns are eligible for block grant eligibility.

“No one knows,” she told WPCNR today. This echoed what the press office of Representative Nita Lowey told WPCNR last week.

Drummond said the U.S. Senate Budget Committee received a letter last week from 55 Senators opposing any changes to the Community Block Grant Development program.

“If more than half the senators are opposing it there’s no way this change is going to happen anyway. I think what everybody’s focusing on right now is keeping the CBGD program, keeping it in HUDand making sure there’s an appropriate amount of money in the program to keep the program going as everybody knows it now,” Drummond said.

Ms. Drummond’s status report indicates that fears of Westchester County and cities losing their block grant funding altogether in 2006-2007 may be premature.