Senate Moves to Take Away ACORN's Funding

(AP)  The Senate voted Monday to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN, a community organization under fire in several voter-registration fraud cases.

The 83-7 vote would deny housing and community grant funding to ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

The action came as the group is suffering from bad publicity after a duo of conservative activists posing as a prostitute and her pimp released hidden-camera videos in which ACORN employees in Baltimore gave advice on house-buying and how to account on tax forms for the woman's income. Two other videos, aired frequently on media outlets such as the Fox News Channel, depict similar situations in ACORN offices in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C.

The Senate's move would mean that ACORN would not be able to win HUD grants for programs such as counseling low-income people on how to get mortgages and for fair housing education and outreach.

Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said that ACORN has received $53 million in taxpayer funds since 1994 and that the group was eligible for a wider set of funding in the pending legislation, which funds housing and transportation programs.

Just last week, the Census Bureau severed its ties with ACORN, saying it does not want the group's help in outreach efforts on the decennial count.

In recent months, Republicans have become increasingly critical of the census' ties with ACORN. The group, which advocates for poor people, conducted a massive voter registration effort last year and became a target of conservatives when some employees were accused of submitting false registration forms with names such as "Mickey Mouse."

Just last week, prosecutors in Miami-Dade County, Fla., arrested 11 people for falsifying hundreds of voter applications during a registration drive last year. ACORN tipped the authorities off to the problem.

On the hidden camera controversy, ACORN says it has fired the employees involved but has lashed out at Fox for pumping up the scandal.

In a statement, Bertha Lewis, ACORN's chief organizer, said the tapes had been doctored and violated Maryland's wiretapping laws. She promised to sue Fox.

Another ACORN spokesman, Scott Levenson, said the group believes the voices of the couple in the video shot in the Brooklyn office were dubbed over to alter the conversation and make the interaction appear more objectionable than it may have been.

ACORN sent a letter to Fox News President Roger Ailes, stating that the videotape was deceptive and had been dubbed over, and asking the network to stop showing the videos, Levensen said.

Fox News spokeswoman Dana Klinghoffer said the tapes were vetted editorially before they were aired.

The video was created by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles and posted on BigGovernment.com, where O'Keefe identifies himself as an activist filmmaker.

Breitbart.com, which owns BigGovernment.com, did not immediately respond to a call and e-mails seeking comment.

On Monday, Lewis called the Senate's vote a "rare and politically convenient step" but noted that the group gets most of its funding from "its members and other supporters, so the decision will have little impact on overall operations."

The Senate measure is scheduled to pass this week and must be reconciled with a companion House measure that passed in July before becoming law.

[kayahjutmai]

Glad you are finally covering something besides the President's dog. But what I would like to know is who wrote this article. To say "...ACORN employees in Baltimore gave advice on house-buying and how to account on tax forms for the woman's income." Did you watch the video's? Can you sugar coat this any more? Does the writer work part-time for ACORN?

[Jajh]

Acorn (and you who support their corruption) are like the man caught with his pants down screaming "Naked!" at everyone else. Doesn't fly. (is that a pun?) The truth is out, and more and more truth is coming out. Van Jones and his designs on changing us to a communist country is out. Others will soon also be out. Things hidden in the dark are coming to light, and truth WILL win in the end. We millions of genuine Constitution-supporting Americans WILL see to it.

[kiawest]

In the stimulus, ACORN is suppose to get 8.2billion. Tell your Congressman to stop that money.

[kiawest]

ACORN was part of the housing mess that got us into the housing and banking downfall. Everybody can't own a home, if they can't make payments; however, they put people into houses they couldn't afford. I am all for helping the needy and there are other honorable, honest organizations that also perform these duties. These people, listening to the tapes, appear to want to keep some people down. People need a handup. Help them understand what to do to work toward that home, so one day they can. This organization's purpose is to pad the pockets of the owners and supporters, not to actually help people. This is too much. CBS, get behind the American people and call for ALL areas of ACORN to be investigated, or start doing some investigated reporting yourself. The non-reporting of the majority networks make people wonder if the networks are involved in some of the areas of ACORN. ACORN is huge. CBS, please help and report.

[comolo]

This is unreal! ACORN should be investigated immediately. What are they doing with our tax dollars? This is shocking...

[earthy0ne1]

I only watch the main stream media to see what they don't report. Congrats, you lasted as long as you could before having to bite the bullet and say something, anything about Acorn.

[hoosiergirl46]

All I ask is that CBS realize that that there are listeners that want the facts. Hiding or purposely ommiting a story makes me think [like Acorn, SEIU, Van Jones etc.] that CBS will not be able to get access to the White House as punishment. Is that the reason or is it that you do not wish to be fair and balanced ?

Robert R Murrow should be your gold standard.

[dddencbs]

ACORN's own numbers claim $15 Billion in money derived from campaign victories (TAX DOLLARS). If you do not think there is a problem here your nuts! if it is ilegal what has 60 minutes made it career on?

I am an independant mixed race male call so the race arguement does not work here

from Acorn Facebook inland empire
Each ACORN office carries out multiple issue campaigns.... A recent study shows that our issue campaign victories have delivered approximately $15 billion in direct monetary benefits to our membership and constituency over the past 10 years.

[6591Hou]

To excuse criminal activity because the perpetrator supports your political party brings dishonor to you and your political party. As an electorate we cannot demand higher ethical conduct from our elected representatives if we are unwilling to adhere to ethical standards ourselves.

The moral high ground seems to be pretty vacant right now.

[sublimesoul84]

That was random. By the way you can have a different opinion, such as being against the child sex trade, tax fraud, bank fraud, voter fraud, missuse of government funds(we all pay for that) without being racist. Be a man and get over your white guilt!