White House engages NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC)

On Sunday, I had to the opportunity to have a discussion with the National Association of Counties (NACo) Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) to talk about the President’s State of the Union address and the issues facing urban counties across the country.

During the discussion we talked about the President’s commitment to providing “ladders of opportunity” to Americans aspiring to move into the middle class to make sure that hard work leads to a decent living through increasing the minimum wage, providing high-quality preschool for every child, and partnering with communities to help put people back to work.

As part of President’s proposal, county officials discussed how they could play a role in the  Administration’s “Promise Zone” initiative, which seeks to align multi-faceted federal investment with private investment, to help bring about lasting and replicable transformation to communities racked with systemic poverty.

Also on the agenda was a discussion on how counties will be impacted by the sequester from reduced federal funding for job training programs, cuts in funding for programs that provide meals for seniors, and fewer vaccines for children. County officials across the county know that the only way to responsibly reduce the deficit and protect the middle class is through a balanced approach, much like they champion in their communities every day.

In addition , county officials also had the opportunity to hear from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Eric Holder on how the Obama Administration continues to strengthen its relationship with the nation’s counties.

Read more about the Administration’s strong partnership with county officials. 

Jay Williams is the Deputy Director in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs