Last Friday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency announced an upcoming solicitation for the design and construction of prototype wall structures for the border. Konstantin Kakaes, a fellow with the New America Foundation and the former Mexico City bureau chief for The Economist, estimates that the cost of building Trump's wall will be nearly $38 billion higher than current estimates.

Meanwhile, H.R. 482, the Local Zoning Decisions Protection Act of 2017, is still making its way through the House after being introduced last month by Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ). The bill would nullify new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulations and assessment tools. It would also prohibit federal funds from being used for the HUD database system, which contains information relating to community racial disparities and disparities in access to affordable housing.

In positive news, last week members of the House and Senate have moved to protect the U.S. Treasury's New Markets Tax Credit. A program with bipartisan support, the NMTC gives tax credits to businesses that create jobs in low-income communities. Two new bills introduced last week — both called The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2017 — would make the program permanent.

Infrastructure Bill Update

In a speech to the National Governors Association during their annual winter meeting at the White House, President Trump indicated that his Administration will detail their infrastructure plan on Tuesday. Many expect an array of tax credits for private developers backing new transportation projects.

"We're going to make it easier for states to address their infrastructure, and I'm going to have a big statement tomorrow night on infrastructure," Trump told governors visiting the White House on Monday. "We're going to start spending on infrastructure big."

Although there is disagreement about funding schemes for a possible infrastructure bill, governors have sent the White House a list of 428 projects they say are ready to go with some extra federal spending. During his campaign, Trump team promised to take action on a $1 trillion infrastructure program in his first 100 days.

Questions to Ask Your Member of Congress

  • Will a new tool be created to allow cities and regions to evaluate fair housing in their communities?
  • Will you support maintaining the U.S. Treasury's New Markets Tax Credit program?
  • How does Congress plan to address the billions of dollars in cost to build President Trump's wall at the U.S. Mexico border?

Action Items

Call your representative and tell them that you do not support H.R. 482 and the divestment of funds from HUD policies that are intended to further fair housing in America.

- Infrastructure and Urban Policy Working Group, RISE Stronger

Have comments or something to add? Contact the RISE Infrastructure and Urban Policy Working Group at [email protected]