Counties play an instrumental role in the overall public administration and governance of federal, state and local policies, programs and services.

America’s 3,069 county governments provide essential building blocks for healthy, safe and vibrant communities. Counties invest over $600 billion each year in taxpayer resources through the leadership of nearly 40,000 county elected officials and almost 3.6 million county employees. Counties support and maintain key public and community infrastructure, help nurture and sustain a skilled workforce to support dynamic local economies, and promote public health and safety to protect our citizens.

NACo supports federal policies and programs that equip county governments with the resources and flexibility needed to effectively serve our residents. NACo works to preserve local decision making and protect counties from unfunded mandates and preemption of local authority. Since counties implement many federal programs at the local level and must enforce many federal regulations, NACo encourages meaningful intergovernmental consultation with counties throughout all federal policy, program and regulatory development processes.

NACo policy positions are introduced, debated and voted on by 10 policy steering committees with over 1,400 county officials, as well as NACo Board of Directors and full membership.

• Access the 2023 Federal Policy Priorities