On Thursday, June 11, NLC hosted a virtual briefing with local and federal officials to discuss the country's economic recovery. States around the country have begun different reopening phases, so naturally, the larger conversation of the economy is at the forefront of the federal and local governments.

 
Several of the government officials in attendance at the conference gave their perspectives on the necessity of federal support towards local economies. Unemployment and the lack of revenue streams were cited among these individuals as significant problems that require federal funding to fix.

The CEO and executive director of NLC, Clarence E. Anthony, and the director of federal advocacy, Irma Esparaza Diggs (who was contacted but not immediately available), began the conference with introducing the Cities Are Essential Campaign. This campaign is designed to help cities and local communities under the belief that "Cities are essential to America's economic recovery. Communities will use federal aid and support to facilitate a reopening of the national economy. Local governments are calling for at least $500 billion in direct federal funding to protect families, municipal workers and America's economic future."

The Cities Are Essential campaign pushes individuals and organizations to stand for their ideas and be active in driving towards the goal of receiving financial support for cities.

https://covid19.nlc.org/cities-are-essential/