As Americans cast their ballots, CDFA believes this is the time to facilitate conversations focused on community improvement and combating the impact of COVID-19. There is still time to register for the 2020 CDFA Virtual National Summit as we explore the financing programs and resources available to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. Join us, along with expert speakers from across the country, as we discuss, plan, and prepare for the development finance industry to lead the charge with our recovery.

In a year that virtually depleted municipal budgets, ballot-derived tax and funding measures can be crucial to support climate action. However, Smart Cities Dive has uncovered only a handful of local climate-related ballot measures included on November ballots, despite many local governments participating in comprehensive efforts to increase climate mitigation.

On October 30, Congress enacted the Reinvigorating Lending for the Future Act of 2020. The legislation reforms the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) program by eliminating the burdensome "in perpetuity" reporting requirements, and instead releases the federal interest in EDA RLFs after seven years. This change will provide more flexibility to EDA RLF operators in local communities across the U.S.

Despite a deep partisan divide, two worries appear to be top-of-mind for voters across the political spectrum — large-scale unemployment and the COVID-19 pandemic. The two problems are intertwined, of course, since the coronavirus crisis has plunged the U.S. economy into a major recession.

With many forecasters placing Democrats as slight favorites to win the Senate, this edition of Politico's Weekly Transportation newsletter comes with a committee primer to get you up to speed with what transportation policy might look like in a blue upper chamber.

Stocks were down badly on Monday as U.S. daily coronavirus cases hit record highs and investors dealt with the likelihood that stimulus negotiations will not produce a bipartisan relief deal before Election Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a loss of just more than 650 points after losing more than 900 points earlier in the day.

The Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a $500 billion COVID-19 stimulus package as relief negotiations drag on less than two weeks before Election Day. The bill would have given a federal boost to weekly unemployment benefits, sent $100 billion to schools, and allocated funding for testing and vaccine development.

The White House again pivoted its approach to stimulus negotiations on Sunday, with the president's aides pushing for immediate action on a narrow measure after the administration's $1.8 trillion proposal was rebuffed by members of both parties.

One day after pulling the plug on a new coronavirus relief package, the Trump administration made a push for piecemeal legislation to help the pandemic-battered airline industry. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday morning to inquire about a separate aid package for airlines.

Economic relief talks screeched to a halt Tuesday as President Trump ordered Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, via a series of tweets, to stop negotiating with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi until after the election. Trump's surprising announcement stood in stark contrast with recommendations from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell.

Two new studies, one by Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy, the other by researchers at Universities of Chicago and Notre Dame, have found that since that federal aid from the CARES Act has dried up, poverty rates have risen to higher levels than before the pandemic. The latter study found that poverty rates have affected Black families disproportionately.

The federal government is projected to issue record subsidies to farmers across America this year. The cash has been a boon to a significant part of President Donald Trump's rural base, particularly in the run-up to the election next week. However, Black farmers, whose numbers have been dwindling for generations for many reasons, say they have yet to see any big changes to keep their farms afloat.

Municipal market conditions at the end of this calendar year will determine whether the Federal Reserve and Treasury decide to continue to operate the Fed's Municipal Liquidity Facility beyond Dec. 31. That was the message delivered by Kent Hiteshew, deputy associate director of the Fed's Division of Financial Stability.

Cerebro Capital, a commercial loan platform, announced that middle-market borrowers have been actively using Cerebro's platform to help secure over $300 million of the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) loans over the past five months. In October alone, Cerebro clients have closed over $60 million in MSLP loans, representing the largest increase in MSLP loan activity Cerebro has seen.

The USDA is investing $891 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in 43 states. The Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and stormwater drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas with populations of 10,000 or less.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao today announced the award of more than $220 million in discretionary grant funding to improve port facilities in 16 states and territories through the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program.

The EPA has awarded a $225 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD). This WIFIA loan represents the first loan provided under an agreement that will commit $1.05 billion in WIFIA assistance to help finance one of the first major water reuse programs on the east coast of the United States.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the opening of the EDA new Scaling Pandemic Resilience Through Innovation and Technology (SPRINT) Challenge, which will enable organizations across the country to address the economic, health, and safety risks caused by the coronavirus pandemic through entrepreneurship and innovation. The SPRINT Challenge is a $25 million national competition funded by the CARES Act.