Members press to preserve CSBG eligibility and funding for community action agencies

Rep. Glenn Thompson told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is "the only federal program with the explicit and overarching goal of reducing poverty" and urged the subcommittee to preserve eligibility and provide strong funding in fiscal year 2026.

Thompson described the nationwide network of about 1,000 community action agencies (CAAs) that receive CSBG funds and said the program "allows CAAs to address their community needs through building partnerships and investing in the creation of opportunities especially suited to local conditions." He said that for every $1 of federal CSBG funding, CAAs are able to leverage nearly $5 from state, local and private sources.

Thompson noted that in 2020 Congress increased CSBG eligibility criteria from 100 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty line and asked that the subcommittee "maintain language in this subcommittee's bill to continue eligibility at 200% of the federal public poverty level and provide the highest amount possible for CSBG in fiscal year 2026." Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro also expressed support for the program during the hearing.

The testimony was submitted for the record; the subcommittee did not take formal funding action during this members' day session.