State of America’s Counties Address Highlights Intergovernmental Partnership, Cost and Administrative Shifts

NACo President J.D. Clark, national experts share insights at policy summit in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — In an address yesterday at the National Association of Counties (NACo)-National Council of County Association Executives (NCCAE) State of America’s Counties Summit, NACo President and Wise County, Texas Judge J.D. Clark highlighted the role of counties as intergovernmental partners and the importance of that partnership in the year ahead.

“I am here to say clearly: the state of America’s counties is strong,” said Clark. “Yet we are facing a complex intergovernmental landscape that is shaped and heavily influenced by the policy, funding and implementation decisions made by our federal and state counterparts.”

Clark described the scale of county contributions to serving America’s residents, including investing $743 billion annually into local communities, and emphasized the value of ensuring counties have a seat at the table in discussions about topics from transportation and infrastructure to disaster and permitting reform.

“I must stress this: we cannot do any of this alone,” said Clark. “For county officials, federal policy and funding changes have real world, immediate consequences at our level. We are also not here today to defend the status quo; we stand ready to pursue common sense solutions with our federal partners. We want our federal government to understand our context, and the local realities of our issues.”

NACo Chief Research Officer and Chief Economist Teryn Zmuda presented data from a recent survey of county leaders. The survey revealed several key themes, including:

• Counties are carrying more responsibility. Survey respondents described being asked to deliver more services, often with short timelines, changing funding streams and shifting policy guidance.
• Counties are sources of stability in moments of disruption. Counties consistently described stepping in where systems are strained – keeping services running in the face of economic uncertainty, public health challenges, disasters and more.
• The pace of change is testing local capacity. From infrastructure demands to workforce shortages to rapid development in energy and digital infrastructure sectors, counties are navigating large scale changes. 

“Counties are pragmatic, resilient and ready – and are key stakeholders in the intergovernmental partnership,” said Zmuda. “We approach our priorities with an implementation mindset, and intergovernmental partnership at the center.”

The event comes as counties share our 2026 federal policy priorities and look towards the implementation of H.R. 1, the reconciliation package passed in July 2025. NACo released a report on the implications of cost and administrative shifts – read The Big Shifthere.