Good afternoon,

Here's the latest news from rural America...

BIDEN BIDS FOR A SECOND TERM

Today, President Biden <a href="[link removed]">formally announced</a> his bid for a second term. His administration has a dedicated focus on rural America.

In the past two years, the president has overseen an unprecedented economic recovery from a global pandemic and signed meaningful legislation including the <a href="[link removed]">Bipartisan Infrastructure Law</a>, <a href="[link removed]">CHIPs and Science Act</a>, and the <a href="[link removed]">Inflation Reduction Act</a> to expand job opportunities and make historic <a href="[link removed]">investments</a> into rural America's energy, agriculture, <a href="[link removed]">healthcare</a>, and infrastructure.

ABORTION PILL ACCESS PRESERVED -- FOR NOW

On Friday, the Supreme Court <a href="[link removed]">preserved full access</a> to the abortion pill mifepristone while legal battles over abortion medication play out in lower courts. The justices put a hold on a lower court's anti-abortion ruling that nullified the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of mifepristone, despite <a href="[link removed]">decades of scientific evidence in favor of its safety</a>.

Mifepristone remains available for use up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy and can be ordered by mail, though medication abortions are largely restricted in <a href="[link removed]">over a dozen states</a>. Further challenges to mifepristone are likely headed to the Supreme Court again as early as next year -- right in the middle of the presidential election.

Since the <i>Dobbs</i> decision overturned <i>Roe v. Wade</i> and fifty years of precedent, abortion has proved to be a galvanizing issue for voters throughout the country. OCP founder Heidi Heitkamp joined <a href="[link removed]">ABC's This Week</a> to discuss the importance of abortion in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

<a href="[link removed]">Nearly two thirds</a> of Americans opposes laws banning access to medication abortion, including majorities of independents (57 percent) and Republicans (55 percent).

Despite strong support for preserving access, yesterday, North Dakota enacted a <a href="[link removed]">near-total abortion ban</a> -- merely a month after the <a href="[link removed]">State Supreme Court</a> temporarily blocked a similar ban from taking effect.

DEBT DEBACLE ON THE TABLE

Food insecurity remains a massive issue facing our communities -- urban, suburban, and rural. While pandemic-era emergency expansions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other government relief sought to help our communities, just this month, more than 11.4 million households collected free groceries from food banks, <a href="[link removed]">up 15 percent</a> from a year ago.

SNAP is the largest method of feeding the growing numbers of hungry Americans, but the <a href="[link removed]">Limit, Save, Grow Act</a> proposed by Republicans in Congress would impose stricter work requirements to the program that will limit food access.

The bill is part of Republicans' plan to address the impending debt default. The White House is asking for a clean lift of the debt ceiling, but Republicans are opting instead to tie the debt to budget limits -- a gamble that may result in nationwide financial disruption and exacerbate food insecurity for many American families.

HEARINGS THIS WEEK

This Friday, the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit is holding a hearing on <a href="[link removed]">Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill</a>.

ONE COUNTRY IN THE NEWS

OCP founder Heidi Heitkamp joined <a href="[link removed]">CNBC's "Last Call"</a> to discuss the Biden administration's latest policies regarding U.S. business' relationship with China.

Former Secretary of Agriculture and OCP board member Mike Espy authored an <a href="[link removed]">op-ed in Agri-Pulse</a> to argue for using the Farm Bill to counter foreign interference.

ICYMI

The Hill: <a href="[link removed]">Earth Day in the year of the farm bill</a>

New York Times: <a href="[link removed]">Losing Ballot Issues on Abortion, G.O.P. Now Tries to Keep Them Off the Ballot</a>

US News and World Report: <a href="[link removed]">The Democrats' Comeback Tour</a>

Time: <a href="[link removed]">The Reason Why American Regions Are Unequal</a>

The Daily Yonder: <a href="[link removed]">Study: Rural Healthcare Access Lacking for Minority Populations</a>

The Daily Yonder: <a href="[link removed]">The CDC Lacks a Rural Focus.</a>

Paid for by One Country Project

This email was sent by One Country Project [[link removed]]

One Country Inc
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE
#15180
Washington, DC 20003
United States

One Country Project is a 501(c)(4). Contributions to One Country Project are not tax-deductible. They support our efforts to promote greater opportunities for rural communities.

Email is an important way for One Country Project to keep supporters like you informed about critical issues and to build a winning grassroots campaign. Too much email? Switch to our less email option [[link removed]] or unsubscribe here [[link removed]] .
You can also update your name, email, or mailing address. [[link removed]] Questions or concerns? Contact us here [[link removed]] .

[link removed] [[link removed]]