A Much Anticipated Dinner Date

I am looking forward to a small private dinner tomorrow night with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Appropriations Chair David Obey and House Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller.

This is one of my meetings that were postponed a couple weeks ago because of D.C.’s snow storm. There probably hasn’t been a dinner that I’ve more anxiously awaited than this one. There should only be about 12 people in attendance, including these members and myself.

I look forward to asking these members directly about the possibilities of extending the Community Services Block Grant, which expires Sept. 30, 2010. Our best shot to get it extended is in the House. By the way, the Department of Health and Human Services has the authority to extend it, but I think it will take some congressional nudging for HHS to do it.

This dinner comes at a pretty interesting time. I am interested in finding out how these House Democratic leaders think things are going to work out with extension of stimulus programs, health care, and a jobs bill.

After talking with Senate staff in the last few days, I have problems seeing this widely expected, broad-based jobs bill clearing the Senate. There seems to be consensus on extending unemployment, COBRA health insurance and a few other items, but outside that it becomes extremely difficult.

Despite the fact that both parties recognize voter anger over the Washington gridlock, the ice hasn’t thawed yet.

I should have more to report on Wednesday after Tuesday’s dinner. Stay tuned.

I Love Congressional Breaks

This congressional break would be the perfect time to hunker down in the office to prepare for many of the upcoming events I have coming up such as the NCAF Legislative Conference in two weeks, a press roll-out of the ExxonMobil grants in Philadelphia and New York in the next three weeks and a big dinner I have coming up with House Democratic leadership on Tuesday. I am working on each of these items and several more this week, but I still take time to go the Hill every day.

Although members of Congress are away this week, I have been able to have several casual meetings with staff on Capitol Hill. When I say “casual” I’m not referring to the dress code, although you can find many chiefs of staff dressed in jeans when Congress is not in session. I am referring to longer-than-usual, no-pressure conversations during which I build upon relationships and learn more about a member’s priorities.

I am still a fellow that likes face-to-face meetings. I feel that my one-on-one contact with members’ offices has served our programs well over the years. Part of NCAF’s effectiveness is that members and staff can put a face and a name that they know and trust with the programs we support.

So, I enjoy congressional breaks, not because I get to sit back and take it easy, but because I find them to be extremely productive times.

Positive Strides in Weatherization Stimulus Despite Negative Press Spin

It seems every day, or multiple times during the day, we are hearing media reports about Weatherization Assistance stimulus that focus on the negative side of how many homes have been weatherized versus the goal, how many jobs have been created versus the goal or total expenditures per home. This is one of the most serious issues in Community Action right now.
It is really important to keep in mind that this program is steadily ramping up. The weatherization network has encountered innumerable barriers at the Department of Labor (i.e. Davis Bacon), the Department of Energy and at the state level. Not only is it a massive amount of work to crank up home weatherization to meet the administration’s target at this point in the game, but now we have a Mount Everest to climb in terms of the spin on this program in the press.

It is also important to keep in mind that when problems do arise, there are a multitude of checks and balances in place to catch and deal with them directly and effectively.

I have the utmost confidence in local weatherization providers. Despite setbacks along the way, I know weatherization jobs are being created and saved through stimulus funding. These skilled weatherizers are doing their best and are providing excellent service to those who need it most.

Stimulus Flows, State Funding Wanes, Federal Timeline Narrows

It appears we have turned a corner with Weatherization Assistance and Community Services Block Grant stimulus programs. Overall, money is flowing well and local activity has really stepped up.

I am confident that, over time, the Obama Administration’s goals on weatherization will be met. I know the network is also doing great things with CSBG dollars.

However, state cutbacks are really affecting Community Action Programs. I hear reports almost daily from CAPs that are losing traditional state funding. As a result, they must use CSBG funds to fill the holes and worry about whether or not there will be enough to fill the void at the end of the day. Therefore, there is double the pressure from the local level to maintain or increase federal funding.

The legislative window for getting much done this year is rapidly closing. I continue to hear from Democrats and Republicans that April, or possibly May, could be the final month for getting anything accomplished in Congress.

A member intimately involved in Senate health care negotiations told me a week ago that it was doubtful major health care reform could be achieved. This, paired with the stymied jobs bill, does nothing to lessen voter frustrations with Washington.

DC Snow Storm Symbolic of Standstill

Washington, D.C. has been a mess, and still is, with the recent snow storms. Some of the side roads I use to get to work haven’t been plowed since the first dumping of snow, leaving over two feet of snow on many roads. This was the first day our offices have been open in more than a week.

I came in last week to stay at a hotel downtown so I could make it in to get some work done. With 40-mile-an-hour winds and snow on the sidewalks up to my shins, it took me 30 minutes to walk the few blocks from the Hyatt to our offices. There were no cars on the usually busy streets, so I was able to walk right down the center of New Jersey and Massachusetts Avenues.

The snow that brought Washington to a standstill is somewhat symbolic of what has been going on behind the scenes here. D.C. was already in a standstill in a lot of ways.

I wrongly thought that passage of a modest jobs bill was pretty much a done deal. Before Christmas, the House had passed an ambition bill by a five-vote margin. Senators Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley were driving forces behind a Senate bill, and I was confident that something would move forward with their leadership. However, last Friday it all fell apart.

Congress is out this week. I am anxious to see how they can pick up the pieces and move a jobs package when they return.

With the forecast calling for warmer temperatures in the coming days, I am also anxious to see where all the water from the melting snow will go!

Balancing Act

The recent dump of snow here in Washington has hindered some of my travel plans. Even without the help of all this snow, I am desperately trying to scale back my travel this year, as I need more time on Capitol Hill.

My sense is that things are getting pretty volatile and uncertain in Washington, and I feel more of my time needs to be spent here. However, it is tough to juggle this need with the pressures to speak at conferences and attend fund-raisers for the National Community Action Foundation.

NCAF does not accept any federal money, so voluntary contributions collected during the conferences I attend are a big part of the organization’s operating budget. Still, I must find a way to travel less so more time can be spent working on the Hill on Community Action’s behalf.

There are about a dozen pending requests that I may need to bow out on at this time. While this is not an ideal situation, I hope that the network will ultimately respect the tough balancing act that I’m facing this year in the current congressional climate.
My prioritization will be done with the common good of the entire network in mind.

Congressional Retirements Continue

The cascade of members packing it in may continue to accelerate. An influential Republican announced retirement over the weekend and a couple more big retirements are looming on the House side.

A couple of members told me just last week that it was not fun to be in Congress anymore. One senior member told me that if Democrats lose control in 2010, they would not be sticking around in 2012.

There may be more House Republican retirements at the moment, but one must look beyond the numbers at the make-up of the districts. Generally speaking, the Republican retirements are coming from safe Republican districts and the Democratic retirements tend to be in very competitive districts.

It looks like 2010 is beginning to resemble 1994 in terms of congressional retirements. In 1994, when members retired it really hastened the change of party control in Congress.

Federal Deficit Drives Budget Season

Today kicks off the beginning of an interesting budget season that will occupy most of our time for the next eight months.

President Obama’s budget was released a little over an hour ago, and I have not explored the particulars yet. Although I am not expecting any surprises in terms of funding for our programs, the president’s budget will certainly highlight a ticking time bomb, a.k.a. the deficit.

The administration and leaders of both parties are saying tough choices must be made concerning the government’s unsustainable spending path. I am haunted by the potential emphasis on stimulus results since both the ramp-up and roll-out of the Weatherization Assistance Program and Community Services Block Grant have been slow. Community Action Agencies continue to face incredible barriers to getting stimulus money and creating the jobs that were promised with the stimulus package. If future budget recommendations are going to be calculated based upon stimulus results, I think we could be entering some really difficult waters ahead.

Of the $3.8 trillion federal budget, only $2.5 trillion is paid for through revenues. I see a new litmus test emerging for the coming budget cycle. Members will be asking one question: “Should the federal government borrow money to pay for this program?”

If Republicans score big gains in the November 2010 elections, they will have achieved this based on their appeals to Independent voters related to jobs, the economy, federal spending and a plan to reduce the deficit. So, this is an issue that is with us both in the short and long term. It makes performance and effectiveness absolute paramount.

We are rolling up our sleeves and likely will be burning the midnight oil tonight in order to get a CAP-FACTS out to the network tomorrow about the specifics of the president’s budget.