Restore The Federal Program That Helps Small Businesses And Communities

Act Now To Restore The Nation’s Community Investment Program I urge you to take immediate action to restore full staffing and funding for the U.S. Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. Eliminating its entire staff during the shutdown has shut down one of the federal government’s most effective programs for working Americans. The Fund must be restored in the upcoming budget negotiations. Recognize A Proven Record Of Success For thirty years, the CDFI Fund has multiplied small public investments into major private ones. Every federal dollar draws about eight more from private lenders. Those dollars finance affordable housing, small businesses, childcare centers, rural clinics, and grocery stores in places banks have long ignored. The Fund helps Americans build equity and jobs where opportunity has faded. Preserve Bipartisan Results That Strengthen Local Economies The Fund serves towns, tribal nations, and urban neighborhoods alike. Two-thirds of its support goes to rural America. A Republican Congress invested over $12 billion in 2020 because it worked. During the pandemic, when large banks failed to reach small businesses, CDFIs succeeded. This is government at its best – disciplined, efficient, and focused on building, not bureaucracy. Prevent Lasting Damage To Communities Without restoration, hundreds of local lenders will lose critical resources. Affordable housing and small-business projects will stall, and jobs will vanish. Entire towns could decline, not from lack of effort but from Washington removing the one tool designed to help them recover. Take Immediate Legislative Steps 1. Include provisions in current budget talks to restore full staffing and operations. 2. Protect FY 2025 funds and ensure they reach eligible lenders and projects. 3. Reaffirm bipartisan support for the Fund as a proven engine of growth. Recommit To America’s Communities Restoring the CDFI Fund is not about growing government – it’s about keeping faith with people rebuilding their communities. Cutting it costs jobs, homes, and hope. The Fund has shown for three decades that federal investment can empower citizens to build their own futures. Please ensure the next budget fully restores this essential program.