ARPA Impact Report: An Analysis of How Counties are Addressing National Issues With Local Investments
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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NACo Analysis of the American Rescue Plan Act
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County Investments of American Rescue Plan Recovery Funds
U.S. Department of Agriculture announces reorganization
On July 24, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will relocate thousands of federal employees, restructure regional offices and consolidate administrative services and operations. The changes are expected to reduce USDA’s footprint in Washington, D.C. and shift more personnel to regional hubs across the country.
Data center legislation surges as states shift from incentives to oversight
NACo tracked 97 state bills that became law between 2024-2026 governing the new class of hyperscale facilities designed for generative AI and cloud computing.
Congress makes progress on data center legislation
NACo has endorsed data center-related bills aimed at providing electricity cost relief to ratepayers - the House's Ratepayer Protection Act and the Senate's American Affordability and Jobs Act.
County government veterans eye statewide, higher office
Dozens of current and former county officials are running for governor, lieutenant governor and Congress in 2026.
The quiet shift from courthouse to statehouse
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes: “Taxation policy and service delivery decisions are being moved, state by state, from the courthouse to the statehouse. The accountability lands on us. The authority to meet it increasingly doesn’t.”