Today, President Biden launched his administration’s “Investing in Rural America Event Series” in Northfield, Minnesota. The following is a statement from Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of RuralOrganizing:
During the 117th Congress, President Joe Biden, along with House and Senate Democrats, made historic investments in small towns and Rural communities. Now, the President and his top administration officials are heading out to rural America to talk about the impacts. This is a significant change in how D.C. has engaged rural America in the past.
For decades, trickle-down economics hollowed out rural America. But for the last three years, Joe Biden and Democrats have focused on rebuilding the American dream through strategic investments in the middle class.
Rather than dictating a top-down, “get big or get out” approach, Democrats have empowered local and state leaders to lead the initiatives for rebuilding their communities. This is exemplified, for example, by the RECOMPETE program, which passed as part of the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022. In the first year alone, nearly 400 communities have applied for RECOMPETE grants representing 49 states and 4 territories.
On the other side, MAGA Republicans have focused more on “owning the libs” with divisive issues instead of rebuilding Rural America. In recent years, for example, Republican-controlled states that refused to expand Medicaid have seen historic closures of rural hospitals. This represents a long pattern where local and state Republicans have put their politics ahead of their constituents living in rural communities. Today, these Republicans continue to push for cuts to programs like RECOMPETE and it’s having a direct impact on rural Americans. In their Phase 1 Recompete Plans, communities, many of which are rural, identified more than $6.6 billion in investment needs to tackle persistent distress in communities across the country. However, most of these communities will not receive the funding they need because Republicans have refused to fund the program.
We understand that these investments take time to show up and pay off. But, every rural community should benefit. If anybody in rural America has not yet seen impacts from the Biden agenda, they should contact their local County officials and state legislators to ask why the funds are not being more strategically used to accomplish locally identified priorities.
Fundamental to our mission at RuralOrganizing.org is the belief that local leaders solve local problems, and we think bottom-up economics led by local communities are critical for revitalizing Rural America. President Biden’s “Investing in Rural America Event Series” is a good start – and it’s based on a demonstrated commitment to our communities. We are fortunate to have partners in the Biden administration who share that view.
The mission of RuralOrganizing.org is to rebuild a rural America that is empowered, thriving, and equitable. Follow us on Twitter @RuralOrganizing.
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