This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) that would have required the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to inform all recipients of funding from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program that the program had been terminated. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program provided state and local governments with funding to redevelop or demolish foreclosed homes. The amendment also instructed HUD to announce that members of Congress could be contacted for assistance in mitigating home foreclosures. This amendment was offered to a bill eliminating the NSP.

Waters urged support for her amendment: “I think that a simple letter from HUD, sent to states, counties and cities, which would simply notify them of this change, is in order. Moreover, a note to these states, counties and cities saying that their members of Congress are available to assist them in mitigating foreclosed properties can help these grantees find alternative solutions. I've discovered there are any number of members starting to do this kind of thing. They are getting calls from their constituents who are asking for help with loan modifications, and the members are able to, not get involved with the particular problem, but to help guide them and send them to the proper servicers to get their loan modifications. This is similar to that. Simply, our office has been able to say: ‘Yes, the program is no longer in existence, but this is what you can do if there is an alternative.’”

Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) opposed the amendment: “…The congresswoman's amendment does nothing to help at-risk borrowers, and the notification the congresswoman proposes would apply only to community groups, leaders and speculators currently participating in the program. It is not a serious attempt to address the underlying problem homeowners are facing today. If we are going to have a notification requirement, it makes more sense to have the recipients of these funds to date notify taxpayers how much, in what way they have spent taxpayer dollars and what return taxpayers can expect from their investments. Unfortunately, the answer is: none.”

The House rejected this amendment by a vote of 174-248. Voting “yea” were 172 Democrats and 2 Republicans. 235 Republicans and 13 Democrats voted “nay.” As a result, the House rejected an amendment that would have required the Department of Housing and Urban Development to inform all recipients of funding from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program that the program had been terminated.