The Weekly Wrap: Local Governments Aim to Hire Fired Federal Workers

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.

By the way, we’re still accepting applications for our annual Vanguard conference. The deadline is April 21!

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State, County and City Governments Aim to Hire Fired Federal Workers

With tens of thousands of federal workers fired from their positions or placed on administrative leave and more layoffs on the horizon, local governments are looking to hire people in these roles, Bloomberg CityLab reports. The outlet notes that some cities have vacant roles that haven’t been filled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, making now as good a time as any to fill them.

Cities are particularly looking for people with a particular set of skills. Honolulu, for example, is looking for people with experience in law enforcement, infrastructure development, administrative services and climate resilience, the outlet reports.

Still, it might be challenging for all of these workers to find stable work in their areas of expertise with the salary and benefits they’re accustomed to.

Federal Administration Attempts to Undermine the Smithsonian Institution

In yet another executive order, the Trump administration is attempting to change how the Smithsonian Institution chronicles the histories of the United States. The EO falsely describes what is happening when it comes to telling history at the National Museum of African American History and other Smithsonian museums. And it attempts to erase the complicated history of this nation.

To be sure, the administration does not have power over the Smithsonian. It is an independent federal institution “directed by a Board of Regents that includes Democrats and Republicans and is overseen by Congress,” according to the New York Times. And Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, who runs the institute, has committed to continuing to tell “multi-faceted stories” of this country, the Museum Association reports.

In related news, NPR reports that the Institute of Museum and Library Services has placed its entire staff on administrative leave. The agency awards grant funding to museums and libraries across the U.S.

Federal Banking Regulators Announce Intent to Rescind Updated Rules for Enforcing Key Anti-Redlining Measure

Last Friday, the Federal Reserve, FDIC and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced their intent to rescind the updated rules for enforcement of the Community Reinvestment Act, the 1977 legislation that gave banks “an affirmative and continuing obligation” to meet the credit needs of all the communities where they do business, especially low-income communities.

The updated rules were already suspended from enforcement due to a lawsuit filed by the banking industry last year. With the new rules stuck behind a court injunction, the older rules, last overhauled in 1995, remain the only rules in effect for regulators to enforce. Federal banking regulators use those rules to examine several hundred banks quarterly for CRA compliance. About 98% of banks receive passing grades, though communities of color still can’t access capital as easily as white communities.

Despite its flaws, the CRA and the outdated regulations enforcing it remain a crucial driver for at least some of the $24 billion in loans to small businesses in low- and moderate-income census tracts and $126 billion in community development loans reported in 2023 to federal regulators as part of CRA compliance.

All sides broadly expected the new rules, drafted over the course of the Biden administration, would increase CRA-motivated lending overall, especially with the addition of climate-related investments as part of meeting CRA obligations. The new rules gained broad support, from the banking industry to the community development industry to consumer watchdog groups.

All that work now appears for nought. Expectations are rising that the new Trump administration will seek to propose yet another set of new CRA rules that will loosen banks’ requirements under the law.

When Homesless Encampment Clearing Puts People in Danger

Cities continue to clear homeless encampments, with last year’s Supreme Court ruling on their side. The New York Times reports on several deaths during encampment clearings in cities across the country. Critics of these removals say they do more harm than good, often destroying people’s property and inflicting more trauma, often without providing people with housing.

“These people are already suffering — we shouldn’t be making their lives worse,” Dr. Joshua Barocas of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the lead author of a study about involuntary displacement, told the paper.

Childcare Centers at Risk, After Gutting of GSA Office

Dozens of childcare centers in federal buildings across the country are at risk of “decreased quality and access,” after nearly all employees at the General Services Administration (GSA) were fired last month, according to Common Dreams. The GSA is responsible for real estate and leasing for the federal government. It has also paid for facility costs and accreditation fees for childcare centers in federal buildings, which it will no longer do, according to the Washington Post. A board member of a GSA childcare center described the move as “an assault on people with small children being able to work.”

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MORE NEWS

• RFK Jr.’s HHS just dismantled a center focused on efficiency. Mother Jones

• ‘More of a Band-Aid’: US cities canceling ShotSpotter due to cost, efficacy questions. USA Today

• Entire staff responsible for utility assistance included in HHS cuts, sources say. NBC News

• The government aims to cut funding for safer streets. Here’s who would be hurt most. Grist

• ICE is revoking students’ immigration statuses without their or the university’s knowledge. Zeteo

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• A new Impact Map helps to visualize how federal employment, funding, and policy decisions affect our communities. Access the map here.

• Propel Impact is accepting applications for its Impact Consulting Fellowship from Canadians outside of the Greater Toronto and Metro Vancouver areas. Apply by April 13.

• The National Low Income Housing Coalition is recruiting for its Our Homes, Our Votes Tenant Fellowship, which aims to increase voter turnout among low-income renters and elevate housing as an election issue. Apply by April 18.

• Fulbright New Zealand’s Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy program is accepting applications to help increase mutual understanding between America and New Zealand. Apply by April 22.

• Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is recruiting for its Vibrant Communities Fellows Program, which is focusing on land and water planning. Apply by April 27.

• The National Community Reinvestment Coalition is accepting applications for its Fellowship for Equitable Development. Apply by April 30.

• O’Shaughnessy Ventures is accepting applications for its $100,000 one-year grant and fellowship program that unites the world’s boldest and undiscovered researchers, builders and creatives to find, build and spread new ideas. Apply by April 30.

• The Livable Communities Initiative, Arnold Ventures and partners have launched a National Single-Stair Competition. Submit your design by June 30.

• Check out Next City’s jobs board for new opportunities.

EVENTS

• April 10 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern: PolicyLink is hosting a conversation about the impact of the Civil Rights Movement and how we move forward in transformative solidarity to ensure that our governing institutions truly serve all.

• April 22 at 10 a.m. Pacific: UC Berkeley’s Terner Center is hosting a webinar on how permanent supportive housing providers can use California’s CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) funding to expand their services.