CDFA Administration Transition Paper

The recommendations outlined in this paper provide a strategic roadmap for the Trump Administration and the 119th Congress to introduce development finance solutions to address our nation’s most pressing issue. These proposals have been carefully designed to tackle the complex and interrelated challenges confronting the U.S. economy. In addition, these policy ideas can be easily achieved by both administrative action by the White House and legislative action by Congress. These ideas are all geared towards engaging more private sector investment and driving capital in our communities. Nearly all of these ideas can be achieved in the first 100 days of the Trump Administration and the 119th Congress.

Read CDFA Administration Transition Paper


CDFA Federal Policy Conference

Uncertainty can cause concern. But it can also provide opportunities. This is why we're hosting the annual CDFA Federal Policy Conference this April 15-16 in Washington D.C. This is your chance to hear from—and be heard by—the people influencing the development finance industry at the federal level. This isn't just a networking conference with informative breakout sessions, it's a chance to sit at the table and talk with representatives from federal agencies. Save your seat at this important meeting of the minds, and help us turn uncertainty into opportunity.

Register today!


CDFA Opportunity Zones 2.0 Briefing

CDFA hosted an insightful and engaging Advocacy Briefing on Opportunity Zones 2.0, featuring a dynamic discussion with representatives from a U.S. Senator's office and some of the leading voices in the Opportunity Zones industry. Thank you to the 250 registrants who joined us for this valuable conversation. CDFA is committed to delivering high-quality content like this and providing resources through our Opportunity Zones Resource Center. For those who could not attend, the briefing recording is now available! We look forward to bringing you more events like this in the future!

Watch the briefing

Development finance agencies are encouraged to let their voices be heard on Capitol Hill. To get engaged, contact CDFA.

Overview

CDFA is committed to fulfilling numerous development finance policy objectives in 2025, including the improvement of tax-exempt bonds, reinstatement of the brownfields redevelopment tax incentive, and continued support for critical federal financing programs. This agenda is borne out of CDFA’s 42 years as a national leader in the development finance industry and is crafted to address market-based access to capital challenges. CDFA is prepared to assist Congress with implementation of the following policy priorities:

• Priority 1: Reform Manufacturing and Agricultural Bonds - Passing the Modernizing Agricultural and Manufacturing Bonds Act will update the tax code's private activity bond rules for Industrial Development Bonds and Agricultural Bonds.


• Priority 2: Create Permanent Disaster Recovery Bonds - Create a permanent bond financing tool that can be accessed immediately after disaster strikes, and that can leverage private investment for longer-term redevelopment of essential infrastructure.


• Priority 3: Reinstate the Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive - CDFA supports the passage of H.R. 6438 - The Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive Reauthorization Act of 2023 - which would reinstate the brownfields redevelopment tax incentive to allow taxpayers to fully deduct the cleanup costs of contaminated property in the year the costs were incurred.


• Priority 4: Remove Water and Sewer Bonds from Private Activity Bond Volume Cap - CDFA supports the passage of H.R. 1407/S. 726 - The Financing Lead Out of Water (FLOW) Act - which provides bipartisan remedies to the prohibition of using private activity bonds to finance the costs of replacing privately owned portions of a lead service line in a public water system.


• Priority 5: State Small Business Credit Initiative Technical Fix - CDFA proposes a technical correction to extend program authorization to 2030 to ensure that all jurisdictions can fully execute their approved plans to strengthen and grow small businesses across the United States.


• Priority 6: Reinstate Contributions in Aid of Construction Under 26 U.S. Code Section 118 - CDFA supports the reinstatement of 26 U.S. Code Section 118, which would allow state and local governments to contribute abandoned property or provide grants on a tax-exempt basis to developers for projects that benefit the public.


• Priority 7: Bolster Economic Development Financing Tools - CDFA supports restoring local economies, preserving small businesses, investing in underserved communities, and protecting the environment.

There are indications that Congress and the new Administration are taking steps to curtail or potentially eliminate all Tax-Exempt Bonds. Losing Tax-Exempt Bonds would devastate American communities and set economic development efforts back decades.

Help Us Preserve & Protect Tax-Exempt Bonds

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