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.

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Medicines in hand
Advocacy

House passes SUPPORT Act reauthorization

On June 4, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 2483) by a strong bipartisan vote of 366–57. The bill, which reauthorizes billions of dollars for critical programs that target overdose prevention, now heads to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, where a version of the bill was overwhelmingly advanced with bipartisan support in the 118th Congress. 

bike
Advocacy

CMS increases oversight on states’ use of Medicaid funds for undocumented immigrants

On May 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is increasing federal oversight of state Medicaid programs to ensure compliance with federal law regarding the use of Medicaid funds for undocumented immigrants. 

Business along San Carlos Boulevard that were damaged during Hurricane Ian
Advocacy

New disaster recovery grants now open to support county economic development

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has launched the Fiscal Year 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, making $1.45 billion available to help communities recover from natural disasters and build long-term economic resilience. Counties affected by major disaster declarations in 2023 or 2024 are eligible to apply for funding to rebuild infrastructure, strengthen local economies and prepare for future disruptions. This program goes beyond immediate recovery, aiming to transform local economies and foster sustainable, long-term economic growth. 

Greg Brophy, Colorado director of the Western Way, addresses the WIR Board of Directors. Photo by Charlie Ban
County News

Interest in energy generation builds in the West

Counties are exploring the potential for energy generation on their public lands, but local control will set the stage for a tradeoff.

Bureau of Land Management Acting Director John Raby speaks to the WIR Board of Directors during the 2025 NACo Legislative Conference in March. He addressed a workshop remotely during the 2025 WIR Conference in Pennington County, S.D. in May. Photo by Denny Henry
County News

BLM, HUD target public lands for housing

A multi-agency push could open up hundreds of thousands of BLM acres near towns and cities to development for attainable housing.

The Western Interstate Region Executive Committee meets for the first time in 2025 during the WIR Conference in Pennington County, S.D.. From left: Immediate Past President John Espy, Carbon County, Wyo.; President John Peters, Mono County, Calif.; Dwayne McFall, Fremont County, Colo. and Second Vice President Derrick DeGroot, Klamath County, Ore. Photo by Rebecca DeWitt
County News

WIR grows membership, offerings in South Dakota

Members of NACo’s Western Interstate Region learned about and fueled the work being done by the National Center for Public Lands Counties at the WIR Conference in Pennington County, S.D.