Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Report Links HUD Project, D’Amato

Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato (R-N.Y.) urged former Housing Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr. to approve a multimillion-dollar grant for a renovation project operated in part by two of the senator’s supporters, the New York Times reported. In a March 15, 1984, letter, D’Amato asked Pierce to use “deliberate speed” in approving the 65-unit Buffalo project, which was approved within two months, the newspaper said. The letter appears to contradict the senator’s repeated assertions that he never asked HUD officials to approve specific moderate-rehabilitation projects, the Times said.