WASHINGTON – The US Economic
Development Administration has $199 million budgeted for job-producing
projects, but that is an insufficient amount, Senator Charles Schumer
said Wednesday.
This past year, Schumer said 20 applications worth $11 million were funded
in the Hudson Valley, but 14 proposals worth another $22 million went
unfunded.
“Its mission is to retain and create jobs and stabilize regional
economies. That means eligible communities don’t have to go through
the state, which is very agonizing to many of our communities, another
layer, and they can go directly to EDA for a grant to assist in regional
economic planning, in infrastructure costs or getting a new enterprise
off the ground. They are flexible and that is one of the beauties of the
program,” he said
When President Obama presents his budget proposal to Congress next week,
the New York senator would like to see that amount increased to $250 million,
the same level as in 2007.
