COSCDA represents its members by serving as an advocate and liaison between Congress, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and related federal agencies on a host of programmatic and regulatory issues. COSCDA provides leadership in the development of funding proposals; legislative and regulatory strategies relative to community development, housing, and homelessness; disaster recovery as well as program implementation.
The COSCDA Congressional Partnership Award recognizes members of Congress for their outstanding contributions to federal programs benefiting state and local actions in community development. COSCDA established the award in 2023 to honor congressional champions of HUD Community Planning and Development (HUD-CPD) programs.
COSCDA is pleased to announce the recipient of our 2025 Congressional Partnership Award: Senator Katie Britt (R-AL). Senator Britt proudly serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. She is deeply committed to improving communities in Alabama and across the nation. COSCDA looks forward to partnering with Senator Britt to strengthen HUD’s community development programs. See below for a formal statement from Senator Britt:
“I am honored to receive the 2025 Congressional Partnership Award from the Council of State Community Development Agencies. As Alabama’s Senator, I remain committed to fighting for our people and our values every single day. Advocating for families, small businesses, local Main Streets, and communities across Alabama has always been a top priority for me. When the efforts of hardworking Alabamians, local leaders, and statewide programs align, our state thrives.
Please know how grateful I am for your dedication and passion for what you do. From spurring job creation and economic development to addressing our affordable housing crisis and so much more, your efforts are deeply significant to the success of our communities. I look forward to continuing to be a partner with you all to ensure the American Dream is not just accessible but achievable. Thank you again for this recognition.”
Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chair Mike Flood (R-NE) and Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) gathered public input to guide a potential reauthorization of HUD’s CDBG and HOME programs. COSCDA solicited input from member agencies across the nation to form our recommendations.
“Several themes emerged… that we urge Congress to consider when reauthorizing CDBG and HOME:
We applaud Congressman Flood and Congressman Cleaver for working to improve these critical community development programs and to increase our nation’s housing supply. Our staff and members are available for ongoing discussion as Congress proposes a pathway to reauthorize CDBG and HOME.”
COSCDA submitted a statement for the record regarding a House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance hearing on “Building Our Future: Increasing Housing Supply in America.” The statement focuses on the ways HOME, CDBG, and HTF support housing supply across the nation and asks Congress to support these critical programs.
“HOME, CDBG, and HTF are key investments in housing supply – especially affordable housing – that is simply not available to the same degree at the local and state level. COSCDA urges the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance to recognize the value of these programs and commit to supporting and improving them for the future.”
COSCDA sent a specialized version of the FY26 Advocacy Priorities to a list of more than 500 Capitol Hill staff who handle housing and community development issues. The document includes funding requests for Fiscal Year 2026 and proposes legislative changes to the following programs: CDBG, HOME, HTF, LIHTC, CDBG-DR, ESG, and more.
COSCDA submitted comments in response to a request for public input on experiences with FEMA disaster responses. We referenced COSCDA’s FY26 Advocacy Priorities and the need for at least a critical level of staff at FEMA.
“COSCDA supports thoughtful reforms to improve – rather than dismantle – FEMA and other disaster recovery initiatives… We encourage the Council to carefully consider the implications of any changes to the structure of the agency. The federal government should work in tandem with state and local agencies to ensure timely, effective disaster recovery.”
COSCDA submitted formal comments in response to HUD’s Interim Final Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements. Our comments focused on the need for additional fair housing guidance.
“HUD should continue working with state agencies and other program administrators to address fair housing challenges. COSCDA also urges HUD to provide additional guidance to ensure compliance with the AFFH Interim Final Rule.”
COSCDA and the National Community Development Association (NCDA) sent a joint letter to Secretary Turner requesting additional guidance for FY25 Consolidated Plans and Annual Action Plans. Members of both organizations have been concerned that their plans may be rejected by HUD if their contents do not comply with President Trump’s executive orders.
“Notice CPD-25-02 predates the inauguration of President Trump and his subsequent executive orders… We request additional guidnace… on how to align ConPlans and AAPs with these and any other executive orders.”
COSCDA sent a transition memo to the HUD Administration Transition Team. The memo introduces COSCDA to the Trump-Vance Administration, outlines several of COSCDA’s advocacy priorities, and includes a list of key HUD programs administered by our members.
“COSCDA welcomes the opportunity to partner with the Trump-Vance Administration to support our nation’s community development programs… To this end, COSCDA offers recommendations on how the Administration can improve the administration of community development programs and make the most of scarce federal resources.”
COSCDA joined over 800 national, state, and local organizations on a HOME Coalition sign-on letter in support of at least $1.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program in FY26. COSCDA is a co-lead of the HOME Coalition.
“HOME is HUD’s flagship affordable housing production program. For three decades, it has been one of the most effective and flexible tools states and localities have to meet their affordable housing needs, including rental home production and preservation, single-family home construction, homeowner rehabilitation, and tenant-based rental assistance. In the current economic environment, with housing costs historically high and low-income households suffering, it is more important than ever for Congress to provide significant resources for this essential program.”
COSCDA joined a sign-on letter led by Enterprise Community Partners, Habitat for Humanity, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in support of HUD’s Section 4 Capacity Building program. HUD recently cut back the Section 4 program and has threatened further funding cuts. The sign-on letter is addressed to appropriations leadership on Capitol Hill.
“Section 4 is the only federal program that is specifically designed to increase the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations by providing them with critical capacity building funds so that they may better serve all types of communities in need. Throughout its history, the program has benefitted all 50 states… We hope you can fund at least $50 million in FY2026, as well as working with HUD as needed to ensure timely disbursements of funds under prior year awards.”
COSCDA joined a CDBG Coalition letter to Congressional leadership outlining our Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding request for the CDBG program. The letter includes the following statements:
“The undersigned members of the CDBG Coalition urge you to support no less than $4.2 billion for the program in FY26… CDBG is an essential resource for helping communities tackle serious challenges such as preserving owner-occupied single-family housing, installing and improving critical infrastructure such as water and sanitation systems, providing life-saving improvements such as fire equipment in rural areas, funding food banks, and providing homelessness prevention services, to name a few important activities by CDBG. There is no other federal program that provides communities with the resources to collectively address these issues.”
COSCDA joined hundreds of organizations on a national letter – led by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) – urging Congressional leadership to push back against proposed staffing cuts to HUD. The letter includes the following statement:
“We, the undersigned national, state, and local organizations, write to oppose efforts by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to terminate at least half of all employees at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This is a catastrophic staffing cut to an agency that has struggled with a severe housing shortage for many years. Without adequate staffing at HUD, states and communities will face new barriers to accessing the critical federal resources they need to pay the rent, build affordable housing, address homelessness, recover from disasters, revitalize distressed communities, promote homeownership, and more.”
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