CSBG and Weatherization at Risk in Deficit Talks

One of the serious players in the deficit reductions debate is Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma. I admire Coburn. Some of my Republican friends tell me I would enjoy getting to know him. He is part of the Gang of Six; he is known as Dr No; and he is a very influential player in the deficit reduction talks. Coburn came out with a nine trillion dollar plan to address the deficit. Unfortunately, Weatherization was zeroed out. CSBG was zeroed out. LIHEAP was cut by 50 percent. It is just one more little thing, one more complication, which we have to work through. There are many moving pieces right now with many plans and ideas being proposed. I am trying my best to keep track and follow all the different proposals. Some are not helpful to our programs.

I am hopeful that this week will bring good news on the CSBG front, both in the House and in the Senate. We have been having good discussions about where CSBG should go. This week I hope we get responses to very specific ideas we have proposed about support for the program and ideas for the future.

Going forward, I think mayors will be a critical piece of our strategy. We need more mayors being vocal on behalf of Community Action. I think is it something we have neglected and this was a mistake on my part. Moving forward, we need a strong coalition of mayors. This is something we will be working on in the coming months. Specifically, we need mayors that understand the difference between CSBG and CDBG. The Civil Rights Community is another important group with whom we need to partner during the next coming months.

War on Poverty Today

I look forward to the upcoming War on Poverty Workshop scheduled for August 16th – 19th at the Vinoy in St. Petersburg. This workshop will be different from those in the past in that Thursday evening and Friday morning will be spent focusing on the future of our program. We will spend time talking about our program in today’s context. We are going to look at the lessons of the past but we are also going to spend the last chunk of time focusing on how we move forward. The world has changed. The political and legislative worlds in Washington and the state’s capitols have tremendous impact on our programs. August will be a fascinating time to talk about our past and our future. We will have a better understanding of where the debt ceiling and deficit reduction talks are. We will know more about their impact on our programs.

For those who have already registered, please make sure to make your hotel room reservations. For those who have not already registered, contact our office as soon as possible. Space is limited.

The Future of CSBG

There is a lot of interest in what CSBG will look like in five years. More members are asking where are we going, what are our ideas for innovation, performance and other issues. That drumbeat has picked up quite a bit right now. Both House and the Senate side Members are asking about the future of CSBG. I think it provides us an opportunity to explore some dramatic ideas, some significant areas in the very near future.

I am disappointed we had to postpone the Minnesota Bike Ride. The ride has been rescheduled for September. I am hopeful that other states will want to do it. I still dream of one day riding coast to coast. I envision visiting 100 communities along the way, talking about Community Action. I think raising money for the PAC is important and raising awareness about Community Action is vital. There is value in a significant media push about CAPs in communities around the country. It is still one of my last major goals I have yet to accomplish. I believe next year may be one of the last opportunities for me to do it. If I survive the Minnesota trip, maybe it will afford me the opportunity to think about one last shot. Might any of you be interested in joining me to make that happen?

I am meeting this week with the Advisory Council for our Exxon Mobile partnership. It is my hope that we will know within the next couple of weeks about a second round of funding. I was extremely satisfied with the quality of the first round of grants and with how NCAF administered the grant. This was our first time and I believe it worked very well. I am hopeful that we will continue with this partnership.

Appropriations Season

I look forward to the upcoming appropriations season. The July 26th House Labor-HHS-Education markup is exceptionally important for us. The August 2nd full committee markup is equally important. I feel good about our strategy for appropriations. I have some hope our programs can be protected but there are so many issues above our pay grade, outside our realm of influence. These issues will have huge implications on all our programs. There are big negotiations and big deals being brokered and there is not a darn thing we can do to influence them. I find it frustrating that there are things beyond our reach that will have an impact on our programs.

What is clear to me is that nobody knows how the appropriations fights will end this year. Continuing resolutions, more shutdown threats, more battles. There are several political pressures on Members – as many pressures as there are Members. Except there is another looming fight on spending coming in September and October. There has not been talk in the press about this yet. Everyone is focused on the appropriations.

The gulf between the House and the Senate is so wide right now. The next 18 months will be marked by continuous conflict between House Republicans and Senate Democrats and between Congress and the White House.

Not a Glimmer of Hope

This past weekend, I was at a policy retreat with a couple dozen Democratic Senators. Last week, I spent a lot of time with House Republicans. I am disturbed by how pessimistic both sides were about reaching a significant deal on the debt ceiling and deficit reduction, how pessimistic everyone was about America’s credit rating. Many of those I spoke with believe America’s AAA rating will be downgraded. Any sense of optimism is gone. The air is slowly leaking out of the balloon and that is frightening to me. I was expecting some good news but I did not hear any.

There is a continuing unease toward Washington brewing in the country. What is different today is that the unease brewing now is frustration among voters and constituents who want government to get things done. I do not believe people are saying shrink government. I think voters are saying they expect things to get done. They expect compromise. They expect America’s needs to be met. There is a crying need to start working on what this country needs. It is not getting easier to address these; the hill is getting steeper and the politics are getting sharper.

A while back, a key senate Republican told me that 2011 is about the country and that 2012 is about elections and politics. At the time, I thought fair enough. But today I think 2011 is all about politics and the 2012 election. I think 2012 will be all about politics. I wonder will 2013 be all about politics.

In my time last week with Democratic Senators and conservative House Republicans, I did not come out with a glimmer of hope. Not one member was talking about an optimist scenario about meeting America’s needs. One side compromises while the other side says agreeing to the proposed compromise is their compromise. I am anxious to see the deal that is agreed upon in Minnesota. What is happening there is exactly what is transpiring in Washington.

Grinding to a Halt

Late last week, I spent a lot of time around Members – at private dinners, at a baseball game, and a full day of working with House Members. I am struck by how deep the gridlock is in Washington right now. Legislation that ought to be easy to move, such as workforce, is now inexplicably blocked. Issues like debt ceiling and deficit reduction that need to be addressed are being kicked down the road.
Domestic discretionary spending, including CSBG, Weatherization, LIHEAP, homelessness, job training programs, are all at risk. I find it extremely troubling. We are going to have to compete in a shrinking very competitive environment. I would rather take our chances in an environment in which Members are really trying to fix our nation’s fiscal imbalance now than later on down the road when things are only going to get worse.

Things that need to be done are not getting done. I continue to be amazed at how broken Washington is right now. I don’t know that one party rule is the answer. I don’t know if two party rule is the answer. I do know that things are not happening. Legislative events that would have been a no brainer ten years ago are now totally out of bounds. I see it every day. Everything has clearly ground to a halt right now and I don’t know if the situation will get any better. I love Congress. I love the Senate and House. I think the country has a right to be upset about unresponsiveness in Washington. It is not good. As the clock ticks, these issues do not get any easier. This is a tough time for one who loves Congress and who admires the institution and the Members who serve there.

Early last week I met this week with my third emerging leaders working group. It was the best assembly of future leaders that I have worked with since starting this program. They are smart, energetic and committed to change. I lose sleep over the responsibility of making sure they have a career ahead of them.

Time to Respond

Like all of you, the last thing I do before I go to bed and the first thing I look at in the morning is the status of the deficit talks. Every day, we deal with good and bad news. I anticipate the good news and continue to be surprised by the less than pleasant developments, especially those from outside Congress. This week I became aware of a Time magazine opinion piece by Joe Klein. I have met Klein a number of times. I know him from when he covered John Kerry's campaign in 2004.

For preparation of his opinion piece, Klein obviously relied on old myths about the program, some of which were true in 1964 and 1965. Ironically, Klein was accurate on one point. Unbeknownst to him, President Kennedy's approach on poverty would have been a five-year demonstration program involving perhaps 50 programs. Small demonstrations would have allowed for greater evaluation, and greater policy and program adjustments. Community Action did not have that luxury in the mid 1960s. For political reasons, Johnson wanted something on a grander scale. During the last 40 years, Community Action has grown and changed. Today's program and its place in our communities is light years from what Klein portrayed.

As for Head Start, I invite Klein to spend time visiting programs and then try to conclude that Head Start is only an education program. The Time piece brings to the forefront an issue that I must seriously address this week. The last couple of months have provided significant opportunities for me to appear in major press outlets. For lack of time in my schedule and uncertainty about my national visibility, I have postponed some of those commitments. As I wind our programs through the complicated congressional maze, I also felt strongly that keeping my head down was the best strategy. Now I am not sure. Having a presence in the press is a major undertaking. I will be talking to serious players in Washington this week regarding this. I expect their advice will be to ramp up national press.

The Window is Closing While Talks Linger

The Window is Closing While Talks Linger I am writing this blog early Tuesday morning and my mind is racing with the work ahead of us. Appropriations for most of our core programs is hanging in the balance while the White House deficit reduction and debt extension talks continue. Without a successful conclusion to these talks, our life is greatly complicated. I find the posturing on both sides frustrating and disappointing. It looks to me the country will go to the brink with these negotiations. The August 2nd deadline is real. I understand hard negotiations but the tenor of the talks reminds me of how really broken Washington really is.

Unfortunately I don't know if Washington is capable of ever getting fixed. I still think the kindling is there for a serious middle of the road national party. A year ago, I would have bet that was a sure thing. Now I am not so sure, particularly when the major candidates of the two parties are indicating they are going to spend $1 billion on the presidential campaign. Big money is the status quo. This is very tough for the country. Even more concerning is that I know the window for legislating is shutting rapidly. The other day, I looked up the number of bills that Congress has passed this year. Normally at this time of year, it would be over 200. As of the other day it was 18. And half of those were probably naming post offices! That is not what Congress was elected to do.

Threading a Needle

I liken our CSBG strategy to threading the eye of a needle. There is a fine opening with little room for error. As months progress, we have little time left and many competing entities, we have one shot to do it and come out successful. I am confident of my strategy but there are a lot of people who want to make plays not in our playbook.

My week ahead is filled with critical meetings in the House. These meetings will give me some ideas of what lies ahead. I go into some of these meetings with the knowledge that very few people in the Member's districts or state have bothered to take the time to write about the importance of what Community Action does. I feel like I am going into a fight with one arm tied behind my back. Very few people in key districts have spoken out on behalf of Community Action programs. That makes a difficult situation for me and is going to cost us.

I am getting asked a lot lately by Members in Congress about governors’ thoughts on CSBG. Congress again is focusing on governors’ priorities. To my knowledge, only the Governor of Utah has written in support of CSBG and the agency that funds it. I know there are other governors that support Community Action, but I cannot think of another one that has stated his or her support. This question has arisen throughout the years. With negotiations on debt ceiling and what is happening in Minnesota, it appears back in the forefront of Congress's attention. I have had a number of Members saying, “What does our governor think of the program?” I wish I could answer that question for more than one state.

Minnesota Debate Foreshadows National Debate

I want to talk briefly about the Minnesota shutdown. I am following it – because it affects our agencies. It also affects our bike ride. And because the fight in St. Paul perfectly parallels the looming battle on the deficit ceiling and debt reduction at the national level. When you listen to what is being said in St. Paul, it is almost word for word the same conversation taking place on the national level. Anyone who reads this blog should follow the outcome of the Minnesota fight. It provides insight into a political debate that will translate to the national arena in a very short time. I am appalled at how little national coverage has been given to the Minnesota state government shutdown. It could be the first of many to come.

The current debate in Minnesota brings to light the current divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the almost nonexistent middle class. There is a political divide in this country. I wonder as the deficit and debt and politics continue to grow and inhabit more of center stage, how will the body politic respond. We will never be Greece but I am surprised there have not been more protests and more unease over budget cuts. As tough decisions are being made here at home, there are a lot of programs on the chopping block. Many of the programs being proposed for cuts are supports for middle and low income individuals. I think everyone ought to watch Minnesota to see what happens, who blinks, what gets cut and where revenue is generated.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

I sat down with Dave Obey and Dick Gephardt last week. Dave Obey wants to be helpful and continues to be committed to Community Action programs. The three of us talked for nearly three hours, taking a hard look at where CAAs are at with different members of Congress and around the country. We discussed our approach with the Administration. These are two very experienced legislators. I appreciated being able to bounce around ideas and strategies. I need to talk with legislators outside of Congress that understand how to move CSBG programs forward. I left that meeting thinking I wish I could have this type of meeting once a week. It was a great affirmation of significant political and strategy areas.

After that meeting, my enthusiasm and morale was up. Then I went through a series of meetings and conversations that brought me back to reality. First, a number of states are planning for a 50% cut of CSBG on October 1st. Congress has not agreed to that. In fact, there are a number of Members of Congress that strongly disagree with that. Yet, every day I hear from somebody around the country that they are planning on at least a 50% cut. Second, I have begun encountering a frustrating situation. Recently, all sorts of smaller CSBG participants and groups are coming forth with ideas of reinvention, performance, and ways to wean grantees off CSBG. This is an extremely detrimental development. I am confident of our strategy but these groups are making plays not in our playbook. There are a lot of them though. I am worried and I don't know how to respond.