Federal and County Relations

How Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism

History suggests that Joe Biden and the Democrats are going to have a tough two years and a disaster in the midterms. Here’s their plan to avoid that.

  • By Edward-Isaac Dovere, The Atlantic

Buttigieg Emphasizes He’ll Bring Local Perspective to Top Transportation Job

Transportation secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor, received a favorable hearing before the Senate committee considering his nomination.

  • By Andrea Noble

Biden Sworn in as President, Promising Truthful Government to Tackle Crises

The new president quickly turned to a deluge of day one priorities.

  • By Eric Katz

Cities and Counties Honor Lives Lost to Covid-19

Communities across the country participated Tuesday in a national Covid-19 memorial, while others have erected more permanent reminders of those who have died during the pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

The Big Lesson of 2020

COMMENTARY | 2020 should teach all of us that we can no longer ignore our biggest challenges.

  • By Alisha Powell Gillis

Congress Nears Covid-19 Relief Deal With Direct Stimulus Payments, But No Local Government Aid

Representatives from both parties, who met Tuesday and Wednesday, said major headway was made during negotiations on a roughly $900 billion relief package. But more direct help for state and local governments isn't included.

  • By Andrea Noble

McConnell: State and Local Aid Should Be Left Out of Near-Term Virus Relief Deal

The Senate majority leader recommended passing a package with programs that Democrats and Republicans can agree on, while the Trump administration offered its own proposal.

  • By Bill Lucia

Lawmakers Propose $908 Billion Covid Relief Plan in Bid to End Gridlock

A bipartisan group of senators and House members discussed their proposal Tuesday, but congressional leaders suggested they would be moving ahead with their own plans.

  • By Andrea Noble

County Leaders Urge Bipartisan Deal on Federal Covid Relief

“We continue to see too much politicization of a public health care crisis,” said Mark Poloncarz, the Democrat county executive of Erie County, New York, describing the logjam that has prevented additional funding for state and local governments.

  • By Andrea Noble

Biden Names Intergovernmental Affairs Chief

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | New Orleans nixes Mardi Gras parades due to Covid … Mississippi governor calls for axing state’s income tax … Leaders in both parties urge against out-of-state political supporters moving to Georgia ahead of special election.

  • By Bill Lucia

Coronavirus Deal Remains Elusive as Senate Rejects Scaled-Down Bill

The back and forth negotiations over a broader Covid-19 stimulus package continued Wednesday with no firm agreements in place.

  • By Andrea Noble

EPA National Recycling Strategy Includes Assessment of State, Local Policies

The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft strategy plan this week that proposes a variety of initiatives to improve recycling rates, increase efficiency and improve the market for recycled goods.

  • By Andrea Noble

Featured eBooks

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State CIOs in 2020

Trump Says He Is Shutting Down Covid-19 Stimulus Negotiations Until After the Election

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had been in discussions with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over a possible new deal.

  • By Andrea Noble

Treasury Secretary Suggests White House is Open To Deal on New State and Local Aid

Steven Mnuchin's remarks on Wednesday come as talks are restarting over the possibility of a coronavirus assistance package ahead of the upcoming election.

  • By Bill Lucia

New Virus Relief Proposal Includes Less Aid for States and Localities

But there’s a chance it could help to revive stalled talks. House Democrats released their updated plan for a coronavirus assistance package on Monday.

  • By Bill Lucia

Local Officials Say They Need More Time to Spend CARES Act Money, as Future Aid Remains in Doubt

State and local governments are up against a Dec. 30 deadline to use the coronavirus relief money, a timeframe that many local officials say should be extended.

  • By Bill Lucia

Cities and Counties Join Lawsuit Challenging Shortened Census Timeline

The Trump administration earlier this month walked back plans to extend the count due to the coronavirus.

  • By Bill Lucia

How Trump Closed Down the Schools

The president is demanding that classes resume this fall—but his own failures are forcing districts to shut their doors.

  • By David A. Graham, The Atlantic

The Postal Service Is Steadily Getting Worse—Can It Handle a National Mail-In Election?

Postal delays and mistakes have marred primary voting, and after years of budget cuts and plant closures, mail delivery has slowed so much that ballot deadlines in many states are no longer realistic.

  • By Maryam Jameel and Ryan McCarthy, ProPublica

Pandemic Aid: What Can We Learn From the 2009 Stimulus?

COMMENTARY | As state and local leaders wait to see if they will get more federal aid to deal with their growing revenue shortfalls, fiscal stability will be more attainable by paying heed to experts who helped the country out of the Great Recession.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Small Businesses Failed by Federal Bailout Program Turn to Cash-Strapped Local Governments for Help

Thousands of small businesses, especially those owned by people of color, have been left behind by the stipulations of the Paycheck Protection Program. In Texas, local governments are lending millions of dollars and it’s not enough.

  • By Perla Trevizo, ProPublica