WASHINGTON — The House voted Friday to kill mortgage assistance for homeowners who have lost their jobs or become ill, as the two parties battled over how to balance frugality and compassion at a time of enormous budget deficits.
The mostly party-line 242-177 vote by the Republican-run House to abolish the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program might be as far as the legislation gets. The White House has threatened to veto the measure, and its prospects are shaky in the Democratic- controlled Senate.
Even so, the fight over the bill — and three others like it that the GOP is trying to push through Congress — is giving each party an opportunity to highlight its political priorities.
Though more eyes are focused on the spending and budget battle, the lower-profile fight over housing aid is letting Republicans stress their focus on smaller government and private job creation, while Democrats underscore the federal role of helping struggling homeowners at a time of high joblessness and an ailing housing market.
On Friday, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asked what he could tell constituents when he encounters them at church about why Congress was trying to kill housing assistance.
“I’m tired of seeing my fellow citizens coming in, your neighbors and my neighbors, they may look like your mother and my mother, they may look like your son and my son, tears running down their faces, simply wanting a break,” Cummings said.
The $1 billion emergency program was created by last year’s financial overhaul law. It is designed to help up to 30,000 families by offering short-term, forgivable federal loans, but no loans have been made yet.
