LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: December 10, 2025
Subject: Federal Legislative Updates of Interest to Contra Costa County
Submitted For: Legislation Committee
Department: County Administrator’s Office
Referral Name: Federal Update
Presenter: P. Schlesinger and J. Davenport, Thorn Run Partners
Contact: E. Struthers (925) 655-2045
Referral History:
The Legislation Committee of the Board regularly receives reports on federal legislation and budget matters of interest to the County and provides direction and/or input to staff and the County’s lobbyists, as necessary.
Referral Update:
The County’s federal lobbyists will be present via Zoom to provide an update to the Committee.
Several informational updates of interest include:
• Federal shutdown and FY26 Appropriations, including lapses in federal payments for SNAP (CalFresh) benefits and other key programs, and next steps for funding the government as the January 30, 2026 end date of the current continuing resolution approaches.
o The Board took action on November 4, 2025 to provide relief while benefits were suspended.
• Changes to the Continuum of Care program.
• Impacts of federal Executive Branch funding freezes, pauses, and cancelations.
In addition to the enclosed attachments, Executive Orders and Litigation are increasingly relevant to funding and policy decisions.
• Thorn Run Partners produces an Executive Orders and Actions tracker (note that there are no major updates due to the lack of federal government action during the shutdown).
• A popular tracker litigation is produced by Just Security, based at the New York University School of Law, available at: <https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/>.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
Receive the report and provide direction or input to the County’s federal advocates, as needed.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
None.