Biden addresses NACo’s 2023 Legislative Conference: County administrators ‘get the job done’

Over the last few years, county governments have received unprecedented direct investment from the federal government. The reason for this, according to President Joe Biden, is because “We always do better when there’s direct funding for the county.”

Biden was speaking to a room full of county administrators gathered Tuesday for the capstone of the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) 2023 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., which started Friday and ran through the beginning of the week.

“If we’re gonna have the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the strongest infrastructure in the world,” Biden said. “Over 3,000 counties got direct funding, because I know, when I empower you directly, you get the job done.”

Before Tuesday, NACo’s conference featured many speakers from the Biden Administration, including Janet Yellen, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Jack Markell, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, Hitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator, and Gene Sperling, Senior Advisor to the President and White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator. Nearly 2,000 elected and appointed county officials were at the conference to attend policy sessions, network with members of Congress and federal agencies, and advocate for the needs of their constituents. 

Biden recalled his time on the New Castle County Council in Delaware. The position, which he held for two years beginning in 1970, launched his political career. Biden described serving at the county level as “one of the hardest jobs in politics,” given the vast jurisdictions covered by commissioners and the diverse roles they must fill—from keeping libraries open to addressing sewer emergencies and making sure residents have access to affordable housing.

“When people have a problem, they’ve got your number. They knock on your door. And not only yours, they’ve got your spouses number. You’re the one that makes sure everything gets fixed,” Biden said. “You take the call, and end up making a call to find out how to get it done. The measure of success isn’t how many partisan points you’ve scored, but if you can fix a problem.”

Throughout the 30-minute address, Biden touted successes of his administration’s tenure including building out broadband networks, promoting clean energy, reducing inflation, and the American Rescue Plan Act, which contributed $65 billion to county governments. He also noted the most recent and historic investment in infrastructure, which represents the largest federal investment into roads and bridges since the Interstate Highway System’s creation.

“We’re rebuilding the country through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and your counties are investing in roads, bridges, highway systems, broadband, high speed rail and so much more,” Biden said. “This is the work we’re going to continue doing together. We’re proving in every county, our best days are ahead of us.”