2011 Funding Release Frustrating

Small states have been talking with me about the CSBG formula and the disproportionate cuts they faced - roughly a 6% cut or about double what larger states faced. I don’t understand how HHS did the formula, but the result is disappointing. Small states are already struggling. I received a deluge of telephone calls from CAPs going through the process of laying off staff as a result of the slowness of the 2011 funds being released. We warned HHS that with only 30 days of funding, some states, especially smaller states, would choose to not deal with the hassle. And that is indeed the case.

We may disagree with our friends at OCS on policy matters or on the value of the CSBG program but we do not disagree on the importance of making sure funding gets out in a timely manner and that programs are run properly. CAPs are hurting right now and that is unsatisfactory. We will be weighing in with HHS this week and also talking to members of Congress about getting the money flowing. This is a real problem and affects performance at the local level.

Make it or Break it Time

The next couple of months will be a make or break time for CSBG. Between now and the end of July, I will be meeting with Congressional appropriators, staff and other Members in position to support us. We are running a full court press right now. Some of the meetings I have already had have left me feeling that I need to know more about our programs. Congressional members are looking for more information about our programs. They know what we do in our districts and they know that we do good things in our districts, but there are a lot of other programs doing good things. I am still looking for the magic bullet or magic talking point that makes Community Action stand out from the rest. How do I communicate that we do exceptionally well in our communities?

The other thing I am really trying to do is to start my meetings by congratulating or thanking the Member – on something outside of Community Action. The times I have been able to thank a Member for a vote or refer to a letter they signed onto or mention a town hall meeting where we participated has proven to be effective. I need to do more of this but it is hard information to get. I will continue to look at how to get this information and incorporate this into my meetings.

Bicycling Across the United States

About 20 years ago, I rode my bicycle from Seattle to Chicago visiting CAPs along the route. I still encounter people who talk about that experience. I have talked about doing another such trip, but I am not sure I will ever be able to complete such a long distance ride again. However, I still have a goal of cycling in as many as states as possible. I am going to start chipping away at this goal later this summer with a ride through Minnesota. My friends in that state are organizing a bike ride as a fundraiser for CAP PAC. The ride will culminate in the state’s Annual Conference which will celebrate 45 years of Community Action in Minnesota.

Cycling through Minnesota provides me the opportunity to raise funds for CAP PAC while keeping in good health. I am especially excited to have a few days of not focusing on work and sharing good conversations. My friends in Minnesota promise me that we are going to have fun.

Perhaps you want to think about organizing a ride in your state. Will you help me reach my goal of bicycling every state in our country and raising awareness and support for CAP PAC at the same time?

Thank you!

I am very much aware that I have not said thank you enough lately. We have been asking for help with numerous actions and many of you have been responding to these requests. I have not gotten back to all of the CAPs that have replied, perhaps taking for granted that you will take action. I am disappointed in myself because I need to say thank you more.

Tell Me Something Good

I am not sure if it is the nature of my position or the unfortunate reality, but I seem to only hear about negative coverage of Community Action in the press. These days, I am particularly attuned to good and bad press about our programs. We continue to track press coverage of Community Action programs, particularly ARRA and Weatherization. I seem to see much more bad than good news. I assume good press coverage exists and we just tend to not share that as much with one another. I hope if there is good news out there that you will share it with me, especially any coverage on stimulus programs.

Hurdles in Front of Us and Friends Beside Us

We are now in the season of serious spending decisions for Congress. The exuberance over passing the CR is gone. The sense of gratification that Community Action held our own has been celebrated. Our next series of uphill runs are coming up and I am worried that they are getting steeper and perhaps more slippery.

We have the debt ceiling conversation in front of us. I know part of that conversation will include serious budget cuts. I doubt if new revenue, meaning taxes, will be part of it. I expect domestic discretionary spending to face more cuts.

White House and Congress will be negotiating a long term deficit fix in which domestic spending is going to be shaved. Negotiations will include talk about priorities and non-priorities. We need this White House Administration to have confidence in our program and I don’t think we have made progress with them yet.

We have the appropriations season coming up. The next three or four months will be focused on spending. Community Action needs to compete for federal dollars by presenting new ideas on performance, accountability and proposing innovative ways to deliver the integrated place-based poverty reduction programs that are our specialty. This is important at the local level and just as important on the state and federal level. This all means that this is crunch time for us in a very significant way. We will be calling on you for stories, for ideas and for stepped-up communications from you and especially from your community partners.

As we face difficult hurdles in front of us, I am pleasantly encouraged when I see who is standing with us. I spent some time with Senator Sherrod Brown a few weeks ago. Senator Stabenow of Michigan joined us for part of the weekend. These are two terrific Senators. Stabenow is part of the Democratic leadership on the budget Committee. She certainly understands Community Action. Sherrod believes in Community Action. From his gut, Senator Brown believes in community empowerment and the purpose of Community Action. I have been around Sherrod Brown a lot the last six years. Brown is second to none in terms of appreciating communities, understanding the concepts of empowerment and of creating opportunities with low-income people.

In a lot of ways, Brown reminds me of the Bobby Kennedy I remember. I look at Sherrod Brown, at Tom Harkin, at a few others and see people who still believe that government partnerships with communities can overcome poverty. I am pleased to be reminded that everything was not washed away in the elections of 2010.

How Did Things on the Home Front Go?

Members of Congress are back in DC this week and I will be visiting with a lot of members. I am curious to hear from them about the experiences they had meeting with their local communities. Prior to going home, a number of members told me they were anxious about meeting with constituents after having made some very difficult decisions.

I remain optimistic about working with both Republicans and Democrats. As I have said before, a number of new House Republicans are not only approachable, but potentially very supportive of Community Action and their local programs. I see threads of Republican philosophy that blend very well with the local control philosophy of our programs. I am excited to meet with these new House members to see how they feel their meetings went.

On a related note, I have been spending a lot of time with House Republicans from Pennsylvania lately. Thank heavens for Pennsylvania’s CAPs. For 25 years, we have been blessed with almost rock solid support for our programs from the Pennsylvanian Republican Congressional delegation. Congressional members come and go. Elections change representation. But year in and year out, we have been able to count on members supporting in, believing in and knowing their local CAP agencies. It is always refreshing and rewarding to have these relationships to count on. Despite some tough fights in big battles we have in front of us, it is good to know there is a group of Republicans with whom I can build a coalition. I don’t often get to say this, but Pennsylvania’s CAPs and their Republican House members make my job easier. The confidence that Congress has in our programs has been very beneficial to the community action network over the years.