Courthouse Journal Blog

The Courthouse Journal is the official weekly newsletter of the Washington Association of County Officials. The Courthouse Journal Blog is a collection of publications relevant to WACO members, their staff, and others. *This blog is not updated on a schedule.

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Jan 28

Local Governments Call on Congress to Pass Direct Assistance to Cities and Counties

Posted on January 28, 2021 at 3:22 PM by Melanie Terry

CHJ Blog  

Local Governments Call on Congress to Pass Direct Assistance to Cities and Counties 

January 29th, 2020  

 

On January 28th, 2020 the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) called on Congress to pass the direct fiscal assistance to cities and counties in the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan. In a joint press conference, they released the following statement:  

“The Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan includes $350 billion in direct flexible assistance to state and local governments. If Congress fails to deliver on this critical aid, the American people will feel it for years. Failure means more jobs lost, continued disruption to essential services and cities and counties unable to support the economic recovery we all need. Congress must pass the Biden Administration’s American rescue plan with direct, flexible fiscal assistance to cities and counties.” 

Earlier this month NACo reported that President Biden’s nearly $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package would assist counties’ front-line workers, as they take the lead in both responding to the public health crisis and bolstering the economy.  

In response to President’s Biden plan, NACo released a Legislative Analysis for Counties. Within the analysis NACo describes the plan as a significant step in addressing the urgent needs of our nation’s county governments as we continue to provide essential services to more than 300 million residents.” 

To watch the full news conference click here 

To download the analysis of the Rescue Plan click here.