Prominent leaders in the Republican party are calling for the government to pull all state funding from ACORN as a result of the recent scandals, such as giving tax advice to a prostitute ring in New York. The Census Bureau has already begun distancing itself from ACORN. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos has called for the halting of all state funding ACORN, the New York Agency for Community Affairs, and all other groups who they do business with were receiving. He wrote a letter to the Attorney General Andre Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli asking them to stop the funding to the groups, saying, “The possibility that our tax dollars are being misused for potential criminal activities must be investigated and the flow of tax money must be stopped.” The piece of legislation, called the Defund ACORN Act, features 114 cosponsors with Rep. John Boehner as the actual sponsor.
ACORN and its other organizations were supposed to receive around $500,000 in this coming budget year, 2009-2010. This money was supposed to come from grants to help homeowners who are being threatened with foreclosure. No funds have been given out yet according to the comptroller.
Legislature is presently being sponsored by a growing amount of Republicans that would cut ties between the government and ACORN. The most recent addition to the GOP leadership sponsoring the bill is Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford). Even a few Democrats have begun to distance themselves from the group do to the scandals. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) is quoted to say “The behavior of some ACORN staffers is threatening its legitimate foreclosure prevention and housing services. I will judge future funding on transparency and accountability at ACORN.” On Monday, a vote was presented to the Senate to block the federal housing grants that ACORN was to receive, the vote was 83-7 in favor of blocking the grants. Sen. Charles Schumer voted for the block, but Sen. Kristen Gillibrand voted against the block. GOP leaders in the House have requested that the IRS stop all involvement of ACORN in tax preparations for the poor and people with low-incomes.
ACORN has not been without its supporter as well. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) is still supporting ACORN even though the scandalous tape came from the office in her district; she said that the “unethical lapses by a few is being used as a tool to undermine all the good that they have achieved over the years.” Legis. Kevin Abrahams (D-Hempstead) has also been supporting ACORN having said, “I don’t condone any criminality or bad apples, but my experience with them has been positive and they’ve done a lot of public good in the community.”
Only time will tell about the future of ACORN and the Federal Government, but from what it looks like, people are tired of ACORN’s antics and the future may not be too long.
