President Donald Trump's push for aggressive government cost-cutting is making it challenging for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to juggle supporting this goal while safeguarding a key financial lifeline for many low-income Americans. Bessent is striving to protect the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund while complying with Trump's directive to scale back the program as much as legally permissible. This fund channels over $300 billion into mortgages and loans for small businesses and real estate projects in impoverished communities, mainly in Republican-led states such as Mississippi and Louisiana, through community development financial institutions. Despite Trump's recent executive order instructing the reduction of statutory functions and personnel in government entities, including the CDFI Fund, industry officials were surprised given the recent allocation of $324 million for the fund. These institutions, established in the 1970s, aim to foster economic opportunities in areas lacking traditional banking services, helping individuals and businesses with limited credit history or collateral access loans. The CDFI Fund, initiated by Congress in 1994, distributed awards, tax credits, and guarantees amounting to $6.3 billion last year, catalyzing private investments at an 8:1 ratio per public dollar as highlighted by former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.