Executive Order Issued to Eliminate USICH and the CDFI Fund
By: Steven Molinari, Policy Analyst
On March 14, the President signed an executive order titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” This order aims to eliminate “unnecessary” governmental entities to the maximum extent of the law —which include the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).
The CDFI Fund, which is part of the U.S. Department of Treasury, promotes access to capital and local economic growth across the nation. The Fund has awarded more than $8 billion to CDFIs, community developments organizations, and other financial institutions since 1994. It has also allocated $81 billion in tax credit allocation authority to community development entities through the New Markets Tax Credit Program. In the most recent Continuing Resolution (CR), Congress appropriated level funding of $324 million for the CDFI Fund.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, which was most recently reauthorized by the 2009 Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, is responsible for coordinating the Federal response to homelessness. The Council addresses homelessness by developing partnerships between federal agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector. In the most recent CR, Congress appropriated $4 million to USICH.
The full executive order can be found here.