Washington – The House voted Thursday to use the spending power of Congress to undermine a Supreme Court ruling allowing local governments to force the sale of private property for economic development purposes. Key members of the House and Senate vowed to take even broader steps soon.
Last week’s 5-4 decision has drawn a swift and visceral backlash from an unusual coalition of conservatives concerned about property rights and liberals worried about the effect on poor people, whose property is often vulnerable to condemnation because it does not generate a lot of revenue.
The House measure, which passed 231-189, would deny federal funds to any city or state project that used eminent domain to force people to sell their property to make way for a profit-making project such as a hotel or mall. Historically, eminent domain has been used mainly for public purposes such as highways or airports.
The measure, an amendment to an appropriations bill, would apply to funds administered by the departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said they will push for a more inclusive measure that would apply to all federal funds.
A fact sheet said that under the bill, the locality or state would “lose any federal funds that would contribute in any way to the project the property would be taken for.”
