Join Instructor Toby Rittner for a two-day dive into the development finance tools available to your community in the Fundamentals of Economic Development Finance WebCourse. Explore key tools like bonds, tax credits, Tax Increment Financing (TIF), revolving loan funds, federal financing programs, and access to capital lending resources. Based on CDFA's Practitioner's Guide, this course qualifies for the DFCP Program. Register today!

The U.S. Senate approved the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), following its passage in the House on December 10, 2024. This legislation aims to improve the nation's water resources infrastructure, including ports, inland waterways, and flood protection. WRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to undertake projects that enhance global competitiveness, supply chains, and community resilience. The bill streamlines processes, reduces red tape, and improves water infrastructure across the country. It continues the bipartisan, biennial tradition of WRDA legislation since 2014.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made huge permanent cuts to corporate and business taxes while making temporary cuts to individual taxes to limit the bill's expansionary effects on the deficit, which stands now at more than $36 trillion. Now, with Republicans set to control both chambers of Congress and the White House, the party is poised to deliver the TCJA's second act, locking in or extending what they couldn't set in stone in 2017 due to the Senate's budget reconciliation rules.

The House approved legislation to avert a government shutdown hours before the deadline Friday, sending the bill to the Senate for consideration after a whirlwind week on Capitol Hill. The chamber voted 366-34-1 in support of the legislation, clearing the two-thirds threshold needed for passage since GOP leadership brought the bill to the floor under the fast-track suspension of the rules process. All Democrats except one — Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Texas), who voted present — joined 170 Republicans in voting yes.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) celebrates its historic reauthorization by Congress, enabling it to continue supporting American innovation and competitiveness. Since 1965, EDA has funded programs enhancing public works, job creation, disaster recovery, and industry advancement. The reauthorization ensures continued investments in economic opportunity and community resilience. From January 2021 to November 2024, EDA directed nearly $6 billion in investments, creating or saving over 550,000 jobs and generating $67.7 billion in private investment. EDA will continue to support long-term economic growth across the nation.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced approximately $850 million for 43 projects selected for negotiation that will help small oil and gas operators, Tribes, and other entities across the country to reduce, monitor, measure, and quantify methane emissions from the oil and gas sector as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda. The funding builds on unprecedented action across the Biden-Harris Administration to dramatically reduce methane emissions, with agencies taking nearly 100 actions since 2023, including the finalization of an EPA rule that is expected to reduce methane emissions from covered oil and gas sources by 80% from 2024 to 2038 compared to projected emissions without the rule. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Build America Bureau has announced $27 million in technical assistance grants for rural and tribal communities through the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Bureau will accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis from March 4, 2025, at 2 PM Eastern until April 3, 2025, at 4:59 PM Eastern. The program offers single-project grants ($200,000 to $750,000) and multi-community grants ($500,000 to $2.25 million) to support the planning and design of transportation projects.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced approximately $2.5 million in funding available to support communities and their partners in higher education work together to advance community-driven projects, strengthen climate resilience, and build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate challenges. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) UPLIFT Climate and Environmental Community Action Grant will advance collaborative efforts to achieve a healthier, safer, and more prosperous future for all.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is investing $6.3 billion in rural and tribal communities across 44 states to expand access to a clean and reliable electric grid, provide safe drinking water, and create good-paying jobs.