Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. statement, June 25, 1996

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 315 Cannon House Office Building Lutherville, Maryland 21093 Washington, D.C. 20515 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Richard Cross June 25, 1996 202-225-3061 STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR. ON JUDGE GARBIS’ APPROVAL OF THE PARTIAL SETTLEMENT OF BALTIMORE CITY/ACLU PUBLIC HOUSING LAWSUIT “I am disappointed but not surprised by Judge Garbis’ decision to approve the partial settlement of the Baltimore City/ACLU public housing lawsuit. Though ‘opponents’ in the courtroom, HUD and the ACLU have worked as a team from the beginning to achieve this very outcome. They have succeeded in cynically manipulating the judicial process to enact the kind of liberal social policy each mutually supports. “As I have often said in the past, the race-based housing plan espoused by the partial settlement is bad public policy-plain and simple. It naively seeks to improve the lives of poor people (many of whom work) by imposing an arbitrary ‘solution’ that will cause real economic damage to the lives of other working people. Rather than pursue such questionable avenues, we should be encouraging viability, economic growth, and business development within these at- risk areas. “I will continue to work to limit HUD’s ability to engage in this kind of precarious social experimentation in the future. The best way to accomplish this goal is for the American people to elect a president that will appoint a HUD Secretary who-unlike Secretary Cisneros- understands that spreading poverty is no way to cure it. I hope my constituents will keep this in mind when they cast their votes for President on November 5, 1996.”