I Love Congressional Breaks | February 18, 2010
This congressional break would be the perfect time to hunker down in the office to prepare for many of the upcoming events I have coming up such as the NCAF Legislative Conference in two weeks, a press roll-out of the ExxonMobil grants in Philadelphia and New York in the next three weeks and a big dinner I have coming up with House Democratic leadership on Tuesday. I am working on each of these items and several more this week, but I still take time to go the Hill every day.

Positive Strides in Stimulus Despite Negative Press Spin | February 17, 2010
It seems every day, or multiple times during the day, we are hearing media reports about Weatherization Assistance stimulus that focus on the negative side of how many homes have been weatherized versus the goal, how many jobs have been created versus the goal or total expenditures per home. This is one of the most serious issues in Community Action right now.

Stimulus Flows, State Funding Wanes, Federal Timeline Narrows | February 17, 2010
It appears we have turned a corner with Weatherization Assistance and Community Services Block Grant stimulus programs. Overall, money is flowing well and local activity has really stepped up.

DC Storm Symbolic of Standstill | February 15, 2010
Washington, D.C. has been a mess, and still is, with the recent snow storms. Some of the side roads I use to get to work haven’t been plowed since the first dumping of snow, leaving over two feet of snow on many roads. This was the first day our offices have been open in more than a week.

Balancing Act | February 10, 2010
The recent dump of snow here in Washington has hindered some of my travel plans. Even without the help of all this snow, I am desperately trying to scale back my travel this year, as I need more time on Capitol Hill.

Congressional Retirements Continue | February 3, 2010
The cascade of members packing it in may continue to accelerate. An influential Republican announced retirement over the weekend and a couple more big retirements are looming on the House side.

Federal Deficit Drives Budget Season | February 1, 2010
Today kicks off the beginning of an interesting budget season that will occupy most of our time for the next eight months. President Obama’s budget was released a little over an hour ago, and I have not explored the particulars yet. Although I am not expecting any surprises in terms of funding for our programs, the president’s budget will certainly highlight a ticking time bomb, a.k.a. the deficit.

State of the Union, Lobbyists and Community Action | January 28, 2010
I found President Obama’s State of the Union both bitter and sweet.

It was an excellent speech; it was forceful; it was Obama at his best. I strongly agree with the administration’s priorities. If you look behind the words, I think it has some serious implications for Community Action programs.