County Officials Describe Federal Funding Uncertainty and Advocacy Work After Washington Visit

Nevada County officials reported to the Board of Supervisors on March 11 that a spate of federal-level actions ' including early administration executive orders, agency hiring changes and a Department of Government Efficiency review ' have produced funding freezes and staff reductions that are already affecting local projects and services.

Chief of Staff Jeff Thorsby briefed the board after returning from the National Association of Counties (NACO) legislative conference in Washington, D.C., where county leaders sought more direct representation on a White House FEMA reform review council and urged federal attention to wildfire insurance and wildfire mitigation. "At the federal level, Nevada County is located in the California Third Congressional District ... we also work directly with Paragon Government Relations," Thorsby said, summarizing advocacy steps and committee participation.

Thorsby and supervisors described several local impacts they traced to federal actions: the U.S. Forest Service put some mitigation contracts and private timbers projects on hold while reviewing contract language; layoffs and cuts were reported inside the Forest Service and Veterans Affairs; and a White House/OMB memorandum briefly halted access to roughly 2,600 federal funding accounts pending review. County staff said the interruption threatened the timing of spring mitigation work on Tahoe National Forest and raised concerns that private timber and mitigation projects funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Inflation Reduction Act could be delayed.

The board also discussed broader federal budget and legislative risks. Thorsby told the board that reconciliation talks in Congress include proposals to reduce mandatory spending and that suggested options under consideration could affect Medicaid (Medi-Cal), SNAP (CalFresh) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. "When we look at those potential impacts ... Nevada County has approximately 29,546 individuals receiving benefits," Thorsby said, noting that cuts could affect a significant share of county residents. The presentation warned that federal budget uncertainty could imperil some county services and designated projects, such as previously requested congressional earmarks.

Supervisor Heidi Hall described her work on NACO's Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force and said the group is pressing for county representation on the White House FEMA review council. "We want at least one seat on that committee," Hall said, adding that members uniformly said they wanted reform rather than elimination of FEMA.

The delegation also made wildfire-insurance the focus of targeted congressional meetings, where county leaders argued for policies that acknowledge and reward local mitigation efforts and for bipartisan solutions to keep insurance markets functioning. Supervisor Bullock said the delegation met with multiple congressional staffs and committee staffers to show how insurance loss affects low-income and affordable housing and mortgage markets.

Board members discussed drafting a county resolution to convey local impacts directly to the county's federal representative, Congressman Kevin Kiley. Supervisor Hardy asked the board for direction and the Board agreed to direct staff to prepare a resolution, focusing on county concerns about fire mitigation, health and human services funding, and recreation-related economic impacts for future delivery to federal delegations. The item was adopted as a consensus instruction to staff rather than a formal vote.

The presentation and board discussion closed with staff and supervisors emphasizing continued monitoring of federal funding developments and follow-up advocacy, including seeking the NACO Task Force seat on FEMA review efforts and tracking potential reconciliations that could alter Medicaid/SNAP benefit structures.