Bmovies

Smear: The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Gave Billions Of Dollars To ACORN

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 does not mention ACORN or otherwise single it out for funding. ACORN itself has said that it is ineligible for the funds and has no plans to apply for them.

Media matters uses both Acorn and huffingtonpost as well as itself as sources to prove it was a smear:

Truth
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 does not mention ACORN or otherwise single it out for funding. Republicans have pointed to a provision in the act that would appropriate $2 billion for "emergency assistance for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes, as authorized under division B, title III of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 [...] That additional award criteria for such competitions shall include demonstrated grantee capacity to execute projects, leveraging potential, concentration of investment to achieve neighborhood stabilization." The bill does not mention ACORN or otherwise single it out for funding. [Source: Media Matters for America, 5/6/2009]

ACORN itself has said that it is ineligible for the funds and has no plans to apply for them. After House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-OH) office issued press releases claiming that the recovery bill "makes groups like ACORN eligible for a $4.19 billion pot of money for 'neighborhood stabilization activities,' " ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis stated in a press release that "[w]e have not received neighborhood stabilization funds, have no plans to apply for such funds, and didn't weigh in on the pending rule changes." On January 29, Lewis wrote at the Huffington Post: "[L]et's be clear. ACORN isn't getting any of this money. Since it is set aside for non-profit housing developers to help purchase, rehab, and resell foreclosed properties, we aren't eligible for it in the first place." [Source: ACORN press release, 1/28/2009; Huffington Post, 1/29/2009]

Yet, this article: ACORN wants another $6 million despite scandals from the Washington examiner says:

An ACORN affiliate has just submitted applications for over $6 million in government funding

-snip

This funding included as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The final irony is that the media matters article was posted on September 17th and the washington examiner article is dated September 14.

# posted by bmovies : 12:07 AM