Defining and Building Capacity for Disaster Mitigation

On September 9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s new Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, following the earlier MAHA Report published in May 2025. The strategy builds on the assessment’s findings regarding four key drivers of childhood chronic disease: poor diet, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity and chronic stress and overmedicalization.

Modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps, Erie County, N.Y.'s training and internship program aims to help fill vacant staff positions while offering the necessary training.

Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features FEMA reform bill advancement, a major reorganization of the USDA and more.

NACo recognizes September as National Preparedness Month, an opportunity to highlight the essential role of counties in preparing for and responding to disasters. Counties will advocate throughout the month for passage of the FEMA Act (H.R. 4669), which was approved last Tuesday by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a vote of 57-3.

The Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act would overhaul Public and Individual Assistance and accelerate mitigation programs and make the Federal Emergency Management Agency an independent, cabinet-level agency.

Decades after the Manhattan Project, cooperation among Roane, Anderson and Knox counties in Tennessee drives toward a high profile for nuclear power.