"Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) released a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Fiscal Year 2025 CDFI Fund appropriations. A total of 48 Senators signed the letter, which supported an appropriation of $325 million for the Fund. The letter includes 11 Members of the Appropriations Committee and 4 Republican Senators: Rounds (SD), Daines (MT), Crapo (ID), and Cassidy (LA). Sens. Crapo and Daines signed on the for the first time. Sens. Warner and Crapo are Co-Chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Community Development Finance Caucus. Other Caucus Members who signed include Klobuchar (D-MN), Ossoff (D-GA), Reed (D-RI), Smith (D-MN), Warnock (D-GA) Peters (D-MI), Hickenlooper (D-CO), Schatz (D-HI), Wyden (D-OR), Booker (D-NJ), Rounds, Cassidy, and Daines.

Last month, Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Don Bacon (R-IL) led the bipartisan House letter, which garnered 96 signatures. That letter requests $341 million, which is $17 million above the enacted FY 24 level for the CDFI Fund. Attached please find both letters.

To a remarkable degree, the FY 25 appropriations outlook is unsettled. Today House Appropriations Committee Chairman Cole (R-OK) reiterated that when the Committee begins marks in late May or June, the topline number for domestic programs will be $710 billion, as established in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) , Public Law 118-5, which is roughly $60 billion below the FY 24 level. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet indicated its approach, but it likely to propose a higher number for domestic programs than set in the FRA. Neither the House nor the Senate will complete appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year. When it returns from the August recess, Congress is likely to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR). With elections approaching, Congress will adjourn at the end of September. After the election, a lame duck session will have long list of legislation to consider including appropriations, taxes, and the farm bill."