<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645051173199.png" alt="President Joe Biden speaks to county officials at an event in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 15. (Screenshot from White House YouTube stream)" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden speaks to county officials at an event in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 15. (Screenshot from White House YouTube stream)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/biden-meets-with-county-leaders-in-d-c-promotes-build-back-better-plan/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON
 — President Joe Biden during a Tuesday meeting with county leaders 
called on Congress to pass his stalled social spending package as a way 
to fight inflation, saying it would help with expenses families face.“Families
 are getting clobbered by the cost of everyday things,” Biden told 
members of the National Association of Counties at a conference here.He
 stressed that his plan, Build Back Better, would help Americans who are
 seeing higher prices in grocery stories and high gas prices due to 
inflation.“That’s what my Build Back Better plan was all about,” he said.&nbsp;The
 massive social spending and climate plan foundered in the Senate after 
opposition emerged among key Democrats like West Virginia Sen. Joe 
Manchin III and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.Biden
 added that he was pleased that states and local governments were 
implementing funding from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure 
law and the American Rescue Plan, a relief package passed last year by 
Congress.&nbsp;“This is only the beginning,” Biden said.&nbsp;NACo is a bipartisan group that represents all 50 states — including nearly 40,000 county elected officials — and advocates for county priorities in federal policies.&nbsp;The
 organization is hosting a week-long conference where policy issues are 
discussed such as broadband, agriculture, health, environment and public
 lands. The session on Tuesday focused on counties’ implementation of 
the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill.&nbsp;Biden
 stressed that counties should also responsibly use the funds provided 
by the American Rescue Plan and take advantage of the flexible 
spending.&nbsp;He
 added that as a former county official — he served two years on the New
 Castle County Council in Delaware — he knows that a flexible way to 
distribute funds is important, as every local government is unique.&nbsp;“We
 have an incredible opportunity in front of us,” he said. “We know the 
challenges still remain, we’re still fighting a deadly virus, we still 
need people to get vaccinated.”He
 thanked the counties for their work in helping enforce mask policies 
and fighting disinformation, and for pushing for their communities to 
get vaccinated against the coronavirus. More than 900,000 Americans have
 died from the virus since 2020.&nbsp;“You’ve saved lives,” Biden said.&nbsp;According to the White House, Biden participated in a photo line with local officials including:<ul>
 <li>Larry Johnson, Commissioner, DeKalb County, Georgia, National Association of Counties President</li><li>Mary Jo McGuire, Commissioner, Ramsey County, Minnesota, National Association of Counties Second Vice President</li><li>Joe Briggs, Commissioner, Cascade County, Montana</li><li>Ron Berry, Commissioner, Roane County, Tennessee</li><li>John O’Grady, Commissioner, Franklin County, Ohio</li><li>Phyllis Randall, Supervisor and Chair-at-Large, Loudoun County, Virginia</li><li>Mary Ann Borgeson, County Commissioner, Douglas County, Nebraska</li>
 </ul>

Biden meets with county leaders in D.C., promotes Build Back Better plan