NACo sends letter to congressional appropriations committees urging federal investments in county government activities

Key Takeaways

On July 9, NACo sent a letter to leaders of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to adequately fund key federal programs of importance to counties in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 discretionary appropriations bills. The letter focused on key priorities where counties play a key role as intergovernmental partners, such as in economic development, emergency management, health and human services and infrastructure.  

Given the unprecedented challenges facing this FY 2026 appropriations process, such as the spending cuts proposed in the president’s FY 2026 budget request and the significant cost shifts to state and local governments in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), counties urge Congress to prioritize these vital programs that directly support local communities and preserve the federal-state-local partnership essential to our system of governance. These priorities include but are not limited to:  

• The Payment In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program
• Key behavioral health and mental health programs  
• The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program
• Emergency Management and Public Safety programs, including the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund (DRF)
• Direct Investment in transportation and infrastructure grant programs.  

To read the full letter, including the full list of key county priorities for FY 2026, see here.