House Republican leadership once again went to extreme lengths to defeat an amendment by Congressman Jerrold Nadler and Congressman Barney Frank to ensure the preservation of affordable housing units, peeling away the two critical ayes in the last second of a vote.

“This maneuvering is typical of a Republican leadership regime that regularly tramples on House procedure to advance its extremist agenda,” Congressman Nadler said.  “I don’t know what’s uglier: Republicans’ contempt for the dignity of the House or their contempt for public housing tenants.  It’s disgusting.”

The Frank-Nadler amendment sought to restore the traditional policy that every unit of federally subsidized public housing eliminated in a demolition be replaced with a Section 8 housing voucher.  The Department of Housing and Urban Development has recently changed the rule to require that only occupied units be replaced.  The policy results in the permanent loss from the market of any unit not occupied at the time of demolition—even if the vacancy is due only to routine maintenance or tenant turnover.

Congressmen Frank and Nadler, together with Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, offered an amendment to the Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development (TTHUD) Appropriations Act to restore the traditional policy.  With time expired, the ayes prevailed on a 216-212 vote, but two Republicans voting in favor mysteriously switched to “no” just as the vote was gaveled closed, resulting in a failing vote of 214-214.

The House approved a separate Nadler amendment last night, boosting Section 8 funding by $70 million.