Good afternoon,

THIS WEEK, OCP is hosting our second Rural Progress Summit. From Wednesday, June 7th through Friday, June 9th, OCP board members will be joined by lawmakers, policy experts, and rural stakeholders from throughout the country to discuss the oft-overlooked but vital role rural America plays in our politics, economy, agriculture, and energy industry. Sign up now to ensure future policy addresses the challenges rural communities face and shape a better future.

• Panelists include Mitch Landrieu, White House Senior Advisor; Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's Secretary of State; and more.

• Keynote speakers include filmmakers Eternal Polk and Audra Mulkern, whose documentaries Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land and Women's Work: The Untold Story of America's Female Farmers shed light on diversity in agriculture and challenges farmers face, and David Pepper, author of Laboratories of Autocracy. Register now to participate virtually Wednesday, June 7th through Friday, June 9th.

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DEBT LIMIT? LIFTED. DOMESTIC JOBS? ADDED. FARM BILL? WORKING ON IT...

• Last Saturday, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act into law to lift the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling through January 1, 2025 – averting a devastating debt default and ensuring this debacle won't interfere with the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
• At the same time, May's jobs report was released, showing continued growth of the labor market under President Biden's leadership. A recent Politico analysis found low-wage earners throughout America benefited from pandemic-era policies enacted by the administration and Democrats in Congress.
• While the Fiscal Responsibility Act seeks to preserve these gains and efforts to bring manufacturing and clean energy jobs to America's heartland, it also contained the biggest expansion of work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries in decades – just after pandemic-era SNAP provisions ended. Between high grocery costs, reduced SNAP benefits, and increased work requirements, food insecurity throughout America will continue to grow.
• Far-right House Republicans have succeeded in curtailing food assistance for low-income Americans in need, but the fight isn't over yet. Hardliners are planning to push even stricter requirements in the upcoming Farm Bill, particularly after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected an increase in SNAP funding, thanks in part to exemptions for vulnerable populations. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), however, argued that the Fiscal Responsibility Act should "take[] the issue of SNAP work requirements off the table" for the Farm Bill.
• With rural Americans working hard to keep up with changing economic concerns, it is essential Congress provides the necessary support to ensure Americans throughout the country can continue to access the resources they need to live, work, and grow.
   

• Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on The Future of Digital Assets: Providing Clarity for Digital Asset Spot Markets.
• Tomorrow...
  • The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on Innovation, Employment, Integrity, and Health: Opportunities for Modernization in Title IV.
  • The Senate Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Nutrition, Agricultural Research, and Specialty Crops will hold a hearing to examine how the Farm Bill works for specialty crop producers, focusing on the horticulture title.
  • The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing to examine the changing agricultural landscape, focusing on cultivating stewardship.
• On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to examine consolidation and corporate ownership in health care, focusing on trends and impacts on access, quality, and costs.

OCP founder and former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp recently...

• appeared on CNBC's Last Call and MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle to discuss the debt ceiling bill.

• joined SiriusXM's Julie Mason to discuss how the rural vote and education could play a role in the 2024 presidential election.

• The New York Times: Schools Received Billions in Stimulus Funds. It May Not Be Doing Enough.
• USA Today: How one quiet Illinois college town became the symbol of abortion rights in America
• Wisconsin Public Radio: With few MDs practicing in rural areas, a different type of doctor is filling the gap
• Public News Service: Despite Challenges, Report Has Clues to Boost Rural Mental Health Care
• The New York Times: Will a Dollar General Ruin a Rural Crossroads?
• AP News: Biden, Looking to Shore Up Hispanic Support, Faces Pressure to Get 2024 Outreach Details Right

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Hungry for more news affecting rural America? Check out OCP's Hot Dish podcast to hear from OCP founder and former Senator Heidi Heitkamp and co-host Joel Heitkamp here.

Be sure to follow the One Country Project on Twitter and Facebook, and check out The Hot Dish podcast.

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