Weatherization Meeting with Administration Today

I have a pretty significant meeting this afternoon with the Obama Administration on weatherization. I am hopeful that we will conclude an understanding today and that we will be able to make a significant announcement on weatherization training to the network next week.

Stay tuned!

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Five Cabinet Nominations Still Pending

The Senate Finance Committee appears to be getting closer to confirming former Sen. Tom Daschle's appointment to Health and Human Services secretary.

Click here for a nice synopsis of President Obama's cabinet appointments from CQ.com.

Daschle's Confirmation Pending for HHS Secretary

Confirmation hearings have started for President-Elect Barack Obama’s cabinet, although the Health and Human Services Department and a couple other cabinet positions have hit somewhat of a bottleneck in the process.

I am thrilled that Obama has chosen former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head the Health and Human Services Department. Who doesn’t love Daschle? He was an incredible majority leader, and I believe he will be a wonderful secretary of Health and Human Services.

I believe Community Action’s initial relationship with Daschle, the Health and Human Services Department and the Obama Administration may be related to health care. Community Action Agencies can be beneficial in urging Congress to reform the health care system. However, this means some things we want to see movement on, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Head Start and the Community Services Block Grant, may be put off for awhile as the Obama Administration focuses on health care and economic recovery.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Substantial Growth Ahead for Weatherization

There is a growing expectation that the Weatherization Assistance Program is going to see dramatic growth in the near future, although how large and how the program changes are yet to be determined.

The incoming Obama Administration has talked both publicly and privately about the need to weatherize between one and two million homes within a year or two. At current capacity, we are weatherizing just under 150,000 low-income households a year.

Additionally, I am hearing that the economic stimulus package may contain anywhere from $1 billion to more than $6 billion for weatherization. I personally think it will be closer to $1.5 billion over two years, but that is still a substantial increase in the program.

It is safe to say that there are tremendous opportunities and challenges ahead for those who implement the Weatherization Assistance Program. First, it will be tricky to increase a program up to 15 times the current level in such a short amount of time. Second, many of the Community Action Agencies I visit fear that, after investments are made in new training centers, equipment and personnel, the funding may disappear after a few years, making it impossible to keep up.

In conjunction with the Department of Energy and the National Association of State Community Service Programs, last week National Community Action Foundation participated in a committee looking at the future of weatherization.

The committee spent a few days kicking the tires, so to speak. Any biases were left at the door, resulting in a stimulating dialogue on weatherization policy, strengths, weaknesses, needs and opportunities. There was very good discussion about what we need to be successful if the Weatherization Assistance Program expands to the level we all are anticipating.

At the end of the day, it confirmed that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get ready for the kind of money that will likely be invested in weatherization. For example, this group estimated the need for 80 training centers around the country, where there are currently 10.

Besides the challenges that the growth would entail, there is much opportunity! A multi-billion-dollar program could create as many as 40,000 new jobs, reduce our carbon footprint, make a big difference in communities across the nation and help the Obama Administration fulfill one of its pledges.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Question of the Week

Does your Community Action Agency participate in non-profit bond issues for financing in your communities? Does your CAA issue bonds or participate in bond issuance?

Let us hear from you in the comments section below.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

111th Congress Convenes

The 111th Congress opened a new two year session last week and is expected to quickly take up economic recovery legislation.

While attending a few hearings last week, I had the chance to speak with several congressional members. There certainly is a different atmosphere than before the elections. I sense a real desire to roll up sleeves and get down to the heavy lifting on issues.

It’s one thing for them to say publicly that they are ready to go to work. But, privately, you can also sense the urgency of passing initiatives to meet America’s needs. This drive has been absent for a few years now. It is refreshing to see that it may have returned.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington