Public Policy Network

Helping You and Your Organization Engage in Policy Debates

FHLBank Pittsburgh's Public Policy Network (PPN) is a coalition of housing, economic development and financial industry advocates. Membership is free and includes invitations to events with members of Congress, monthly policy updates and quarterly conference calls featuring industry experts.

Public Policy Updates

Stay up-to-date on issues facing housing, economic development and the FHLBanks with Allison Karakis' monthly policy updates.

July 2024

By summer of a Presidential Election Year, Congress becomes consumed with positioning themselves for success in November. The Senate and House this year will be in recess all of August and October campaigning.

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February 2023

The first vote of the 118th Congress, for Speaker of the House, made it immediately clear that slim majorities are going to make things difficult. Small groups within and across parties will have outsized influence on nearly every vote—impacting important legislation—over the next two years. 

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December 2022

The midterm elections have produced results reminiscent of 2020 – narrow majorities and another runoff in Georgia. However, the dynamics have shifted as Republicans gained control of the House with a slim seven seat majority with two seats remaining to be called.

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August 2022

With just days remaining until August recess, Congressional Democrats had largely given up on passing any major legislation. So, the announcement of a deal between Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin surprised nearly everyone. 

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March 2022

Congress started 2022 with a long list of difficult policy items including those related to pandemic recovery and high inflation. Unexpected items, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a vacancy on the Supreme Court, quickly changed the focus.

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January 2022

The start of the new year brings an increased focus on the midterm elections as primary ballot deadlines loom. For many elected officials, the primary election is their biggest hurdle as they face opposition from within their own party. This creates increased urgency for Democrats to pass President Biden’s major legislative priorities, but narrow majorities continue to hamper that effort.

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October 2021

Negotiations among House and Senate Democrats on the budget reconciliation bill have stretched on for another month despite hopes that a deal was within reach. Urgency to pass large portions of President Biden’s domestic agenda continues to increase as limited legislative days remain until the new year brings increased focus on the elections.

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September 2021

Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate had planned for a perfectly choreographed path to pass President Biden’s legislative agenda, anticipating some obstacles along the way. However, instead of obstacles they have run into many significant roadblocks from both the moderates and progressives within the Democratic Party.

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Allison Karakis, Government Relations Director
Office: 412-288-7302
allison.karakis@fhlb-pgh.com

Allison Karakis, Government Relations Director, joined FHLBank Pittsburgh in 2015 and oversees FHLBank’s government relations program.
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Reginald Belon, Public Affairs Specialist
Office: 412-288-2879
reginald.belon@fhlb-pgh.com

Reginald Belon is a Public Affairs Specialist at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank). Mr. Belon joined FHLBank in 2024 and executes the grassroots strategy through FHLBank’s Public Policy Network (PPN). 
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