America's nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees are on the frontlines of the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the country emerges from the pandemic and grapples with the toll it has taken on our citizens, counties are responding and rebuilding. At the same time, many counties are still confronting significant workforce shortage pressures at a time with growing, critical resident needs.

With American Rescue Plan funds, counties are strengthening America's workforce, addressing the nation's behavioral health crisis, expanding broadband access, improving housing affordability and building prosperous communities for the next generation.

Related News

Medicaid
Press Release

State and Local Government Organizations Express Concern Over Proposed Changes to Medicaid Financing and Requirements

NACo, NLC, NCSL, USCM, CSG and ICMA emphasize the impact of policy changes to eligibility requirements and financing of Medicaid.

Image of Capitol-closeup-4.jpg
Advocacy

U.S. Congress begins work on budget reconciliation process: What this means for counties

The House and Senate Budget Committees have marked up Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget resolutions to initiate the budget reconciliation process to enact policy priorities without garnering bipartisan support, although the two chambers differ in their approach to drafting the legislation. 

Doctor and patient
Advocacy

Congress introduces bipartisan legislation to strengthen rural health care access and funding

Rural communities face unique health care challenges, from provider shortages to funding disparities. To address these concerns, the U.S. Senate recently introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at improving rural health care access and funding: the Rural Health Focus Act and the Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act.

Family in front of house
Advocacy

U.S. Senate reintroduces bipartisan disaster mitigation bill to support homeowners

On January 30, a bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2025, a bill aimed at eliminating federal taxation of state-provided residential mitigation grants. NACo previously supported this legislation and continues to advocate for its passage to support county resilience efforts. 

Durham County, N.C. Commissioner Wendy Jacobs listens to a speaker during NACo's Intergovernmental Roundtable on Local Behavioral Health Crisis Response. Photo by Nicole Weissman
County News

Panel: People in crisis need support, not handcuffs

Counties can better serve people experiencing a behavioral health crisis by engaging behavioral health specialists instead of law enforcement, experts told county officials at a recent meeting held at NACo headquarters.

US Capitol side
Advocacy

Lawmakers reintroduce the Build Housing with Care Act

On January 30, Senator Ron Wyden and Congresswoman Bonamici reintroduced the Build Housing with Care Act. This legislation would establish a new competitive grant program under HUD intended to boost the supply of co-located child care facilities and affordable housing developments.