Posted: September 15th 2009
From the New York Times:
The Senate voted on Monday to forbid Acorn, the antipoverty group frequently criticized by conservatives, from receiving federal housing grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The vote is the latest jolt of bad news for the group, formally known as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. The Census Bureau told Acorn last week that it no longer wanted the group’s assistance for the 2010 census, while a hidden camera recently caught Acorn employees giving tax advice to people who said they wanted to run a brothel.
The provision, which passed 83-7, was introduced as an amendment to a housing and transportation spending bill by Senator Mike Johanns, Republican of Nebraska, who said on the Senate floor that Acorn had received $53 million in federal funds since 1994.
“This is a strong message by the Senate, and I hope this vote, which rises above partisanship to do what is right, becomes the rule rather than the exception,” Mr. Johanns said in a statement released after the vote. “I will continue to work to see that Americans’ tax dollars will not go to support fraudulent organizations or activities.”
The House passed a version of the spending bill in July that does not deny Acorn access to the federal funds.
Acorn came under intense scrutiny — and Republican criticism — for its work registering voters in the 2008 election, because of registration forms bearing names like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
More recently, Acorn employees in Washington, Baltimore and Brooklyn were caught on tape giving tax pointers and other advice to conservatives posing as a pimps and prostitutes.
