NACo Policy Insider Webinar Series: Understanding the Federal Landscape for Counties, April 23

A new federal law requires FEMA to publish a publicly accessible, interactive dashboard tracking all Public Assistance reimbursement requests, giving counties unprecedented visibility into disaster recovery funding.

NACo CEO Matt Chase: "Counties are where federal and state policy stops being policy and starts being real. We are not a delivery mechanism for decisions made elsewhere. We are where American governance actually lives."

On April 21, U.S. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unveiled a budget resolution to advance a party-line reconciliation package focused on immigration enforcement and funding for agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The resolution is the first step in a two-part process aimed at producing final legislation by June 1.

On April 20, 2026, NACo submitted formal comments to the U.S. Census Bureau on the proposed reinstatement of the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Operation for the 2030 Census. The Bureau had issued a Federal Register notice in February 2026 opening a 60-day public comment period on the program's design before submitting it to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. 

Before he pitched for the Washington Nationals, Chris Schroder worked for a semester for the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma, and the organization later welcomed him back as executive director.

On April 3, the White House released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request, outlining the administration's proposals for budgetary spending for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026. The President’s budget requests cutting non-defense discretionary funding by 10 percent, or $73 billion. This budget proposal reflects the administration’s priorities but is unlikely to be passed in its current form and will need to be approved by Congress to be implemented.