October 26, 2025

Federal Fridays – Week Ending 10/24/25

Featured, Public Policy

CCEDA serves as a clearinghouse of information and public policy advocacy for California economic development nonprofits, including Community Development Corporations, Community Action Agencies, and other nonprofits.

Federal Friday is our opportunity to summarize the week’s Federal-level legislation and provide insight and analysis into the policies that we deem most relevant to our membership. We strive to provide a thorough breakdown in one place.

To bring a particular Bill or Legislation to our attention, please reach out to social@cceda.com.

Federal Friday this week was delayed in publishing due to several important Bills introduced on Friday, 10/24, and the subsequent research and analysis. Several of these include immediate calls to action as these have very big effects on Californians, particularly the populations our CCEDA members serve.

HR 471 – Fix Our Forests Act

Summary: “To expedite under the Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on national Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes.”

Last Action: 3/6 – Hearings held in Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology

Introduced: 1/16

Sponsor: Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4)¹

CCEDA’s Take

This Bill has recently been discussed in environmental advocacy circles with an emphasis to reach out and push Senators for a NO vote prior to this Bill reaching the floor. California Senator Alex Padilla was among four Senators who sponsored this Bill upon introduction to Senate.² While it is referred to as a bipartisan bill due to bipartisan support in House & Senate, and therefore seeming reasonable given increasingly partisan legislation, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club have been cautioning against the Bill and referring to it as a “pro-logging bill.”^3,4 Notably, California Senator Adam Schiff, a member of the Senate subcommittee and participated in the Senate hearing that passed the Bill to Senate, has expressed concerns about the bill, stating “…parts of the bill seem more focused on timber harvesting than they do on wildfire mitigation” and said other reforms are needed that are not within the bill.⁵

As we discuss the bipartisan nature of the bill, we must also address the voting in the House:

On 1/23/25, the bill passed 279-141 (Yea/Nay)

215 Republicans voted YEA
64 Democrats voted YEA
141 Democrats voted NAY
10 Democrats and 3 Republicans did not vote ⁶

Let’s exclude the nonvoting Representatives from discussion for now. Only 31% of voting Democrats voted in favor of HR 471, yet 100% of voting Republicans voted in favor of HR 471.

This Bill was shortly introduced after wildfires devastated Southern California, a timely moment address these issues as subsequent natural disasters struck across the nation. This Bill appears to address these environmental concerns with the discussion of “‘phasing out’ FEMA” and denials for federal aid were observed by AP News to have “fell mostly along party lines.”⁷

California Senator Assumed Stances:

Padilla – YES

Schiff – NO, needs modification

To see how your house Representative voted on HR 471, please see source/link 6 in our References.

HR 5830 – To establish a pilot program providing certain individuals with a guaranteed monthly income, to study the effect of a guaranteed monthly income on such individuals, and for other purposes.

Summary: Text currently unavailable, we can only go by the title as of 10-26-25.

Last Action: 10/24 – Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means

Introduced: 10/24

Sponsor: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)

Co-Sponsors (CA in bold):

Rep. LaMonica McIver [D-NJ-10]
Rep. Rashida Tlaib [D-MI-12]
Rep. Danny K. Davis [D-IL-7]
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton [D-DC-At Large]
Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky [D-IL-9]
Rep. Sara Jacobs [D-CA-51]
Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson [D-GA-4]
Rep. Shri Thanedar [D-MI-13]
Rep. Kevin Mullin [D-CA-15]
Rep. Summer L. Lee [D-PA-12]
Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]⁸

CCEDA’s Take

Universal income has been trialed in several United States cities, such as Stockton, California. In Stockton, from February 19 to February 2021 randomly selected residents were given “$500 per month for two years with no strings attached, measurably improved participants’ job prospects, financial stability and overall well-being” according to a study on the first year released in 2021.⁹ These trials frequently show positive results for participants and local economies. It is important to remember that we have data on the impact of COVID-19 stimulus payments, an exceptional circumstance but still a federal implementation of the same principle.

The text of the bill is currently unavailable, as the Bill was only introduced on Friday, 10-24. Once we have more information, we will post a more thorough analysis which will include ways how California CDCs, CAAs, and other organizations can get involved.

HR 5822 – To appropriate funds to ensure uninterrupted benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program.

Summary: Text currently unavailable, we can only go by the title as of 10-25-25

Last Action: 10/24 – referred to the House Committee on Appropriations

Introduced: 10/24

Sponsor: Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1)

Co-Sponsor:

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH-7)¹⁰

CCEDA’s Take

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), called CalFresh in California, is a federal entitlement program funded by the Department of Agriculture. The shutdown began in September, which meant reserve funds covered October and are likely to run short for November.¹¹

Given that we do not have the text, it is uncertain if the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program (another program geared toward low-income women and children, with separate requirements and restrictions from SNAP) will be covered by HR 5822. WIC had less funding than SNAP and received an “infusion of funds” from the White House in early October, but the National WIC Association warned this would not be enough for the near future.¹²

The text of the bill is currently unavailable, as the Bill was only introduced on Friday, 10-24. Once we have more information, we will post a more thorough analysis which may include ways how California CDCs, CAAs, and other organizations can get involved.

HR 5371 – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026

See our previous Federal Friday Post for the complete breakdown of HR 5371

Summary: The Bill that must be passed in order to funding programs/items such as SNAP and federal employee wages (minus sworn-in members of Congress, who are still getting paid). Bipartisan support is needed in order to pass this Bill, with Democrats withholding votes in order to pass protections for items such as healthcare tax credits (preventing exorbitant increases in cost).

We mentioned H.Res. 722 last Federal Friday (10/17), which essentially means that the Bill can’t be procedurally objected to and readings cannot be used as a delay or PR tactic.

There are many in-depth reviews on HR 5371 and the ongoing shutdown, here are some of the ones we recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbvseh3BJGc

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/15/politics/bernie-sanders-aoc-democratic-party-shutdown

References/Further Reading

Library of Congress. H.R.471 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act. Congress.gov. Published 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/471
Padilla, Western Senators Introduce Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act to Combat Wildfires – Senator Alex Padilla. Senator Alex Padilla. Published April 11, 2025. https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-western-senators-introduce-bipartisan-fix-our-forests-act-to-combat-wildfires/
Brickey I. Sierra Club Statement on Senate Fix Our Forests Act. Sierraclub.org. Published April 10, 2025. https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2025/04/sierra-club-statement-senate-fix-our-forests-act
Brickey I. Sierra Club: Pro-Logging Bill Would Fail Our Forests. Sierraclub.org. Published October 21, 2025. Accessed October 26, 2025. https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2025/10/sierra-club-pro-logging-bill-would-fail-our-forests
Library of Congress. S.Hrg. 119-27 — TO REVIEW H.R. 471, THE FIX OUR FORESTS ACT, AND OPTIONS TO REDUCE CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRE. Congress.gov. Published 2025. Accessed October 26, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/event/119th-congress/senate-event/LC74241/text
Library of Congress. House Roll Call Vote 25. Congress.gov. Published 2025. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/votes/house/119-1/25
Angueira GA. Trump gives disaster declarations to Alaska and others but denies Illinois, Vermont and Maryland. AP News. Published October 23, 2025. Accessed October 26, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/fema-trump-disasters-alaska-maryland-illinois-2c7a90956c101db8fe281d669a9cbde2
Library of Congress. Text – H.R.5830 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): To establish a pilot program providing certain individuals with a guaranteed monthly income, to study the effect of a guaranteed monthly income on such individuals, and for other purposes. Congress.gov. Published 2025. Accessed October 26, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5830/text?s=2&r=6
Treisman R. California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds. Published March 4, 2021.
Library of Congress. Text – H.R.5822 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): To appropriate funds to ensure uninterrupted benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program. Congress.gov. Published 2025. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5822/text
Khan M, Walrath-Holdridge M. SNAP benefits face “insufficient funds” in November if shutdown continues, USDA warns. USA TODAY. Published October 15, 2025. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/10/15/snap-benefits-government-shutdown/86708230007
Khan M, Walrath-Holdridge. WIC gets temporary funding boost. How long will it keep the program running? USA TODAY. Published October 14, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/14/wic-funding-uncertain-government-shutdown/86691522007/