Was the "Heartless" Reagan Really "Guilty" of Cutting Federal Housing Funds?
On the air, a caller from Seattle challenged Michael on the charge that Ronald Reagan cut federal spending on housing. Michael explained that, overall, spending for Washington’s Department of Housing and Urban Development surely rose during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The caller angrily denied it, saying Michael “owed him a dinner” over the issue.
Here are the facts:
Dollar Outlays Dept. of HUD Fiscal Year 1981: $14,033,000,000
Dollar Outlays Dept. of HUD Fiscal Year 1988: $18,938,000,000
Sorry, challenger, but increasing spending 35% is not a cut!
Source: HUD Budget Summaries—Budgets of the US Government