Biden orders coordinated federal support for economically distressed and left-behind communities

President Joe Biden signed a January 19, 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to better coordinate programs for economically distressed and left-behind communities. The order defined covered communities to include municipalities and local areas in distressed regions, Community Disaster Resilience Zones, areas served by major place-based economic-development programs, and rural communities identified by USDA and EPA. It directed the Commerce Department and other implementing agencies to improve technical assistance, align federal investments, support post-disaster long-term economic development, and make federal grants easier for under-resourced communities to access. The action mattered because many communities lack the staff, matching funds, or technical capacity to compete for federal programs even when they are eligible.