The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced a new Recompete Pilot Program.

The program seeks public input on making focused investments in distressed communities, creating good jobs and supporting long-term economic development by reducing the employment gap, according to a Feb. 23 news release.

“The Recompete Pilot Program is a key part of the Biden-Harris economic plan to invest in places and people that have been forgotten for too long," Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in the release. "As we continue building an economy that works for everyone, this new program will supercharge our mission by creating jobs and supporting long-term economic success in distressed communities.” 

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said the department will work with “economically distressed communities to build and implement place-based, long-term and sustainable strategies to tackle their unique challenges,” the release reported.

She said they want to hear what stakeholders in communities suggest for the program to maximize taxpayer investment in the nation’s future, according to the release.

Congress appropriated $200 million to the EDA as part of the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, out of the $1 billion authorized for the Recompete Pilot Program, which was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the release reported. The program aims to invest in distressed communities and connect workers to good jobs while supporting comprehensive economic development by targeting the high, prime-age employment gap. 

The EDA has requested public input on the program, which will focus on distressed communities across the country, according to the release.