Good afternoon and thanks for joining us in 2024!
So, this is <a href="[link removed]">the new year</a>, but with Congress floundering to keep the lights on, things don't feel any different.
Congress has decided to start this year off stronger than the last and put forward a proposed budget of <a href="[link removed]">$1.590 trillion</a>. But the government will start to shut down on January 19, giving Congress only 10 days to pass the first set of appropriations bills. After passing just <a href="[link removed]">27 bills</a> in 2023, Congress would be moving at a lightning pace to pass four in less than two weeks. It's even more troubling because the Ag-FDA bill spent last year languishing in limbo while Republicans tied its passage up with a "poison pill" amendment that would block access to abortion medication. If Congress's New Year's resolution was to pass <a href="[link removed]">more than they did in 2023</a>, they've got their work cut out for them -- or their resolution to pass the FY2024 bills will turn into yet another continuing resolution.
While we await a USDA funding bill and a Farm Bill, OCP will continue to bring you the latest news affecting rural America, from agriculture to education and health care to housing. Here's a look at how these issues are shaping up in the states:
PRO-WORKER PAID FAMILY LEAVE
The bipartisan House Paid Family Leave (PFL) Working Group put forward a legislative framework to expand workers' ability to take paid leave. The U.S. is <a href="[link removed]">one of only seven countries</a> in the world that does not provide some guarantee of paid family or medical leave, forcing Americans to take unpaid medical leave or outright leave the workforce to care for family members. The lack of paid leave has a <a href="[link removed]">disproportionate</a> impact on workers in rural America, which is why OCP proposed creating a <a href="[link removed]">FAMLY Plan</a> to instate a PFL program that can improve worker retention for employers, increase productivity, and provide an overall increase in workforce participation across the country We look forward to partnering with the PFL Working Group and other key stakeholders to develop a national PFL system that ensures the availability and equity of benefits to workers across states. <a href="[link removed]">Read OCP founder Heidi Heitkamp's full statement here.</a>
DECEMBER JOBS REPORT
In any election year, the economy is sure to take center stage, so here are some numbers: December saw the addition of 216,000 more jobs to the economy ― that makes 2.7 million jobs that were added to the U.S. economy in 2023. The Biden administration's efforts to build resilient and sustainable growth are creating an optimistic outlook for hardworking Americans, particularly farmers, <a href="[link removed]">the majority of whom</a> are forecasting cooling inflation in 2024. <a href="[link removed]">Read OCP's full statement on the December jobs report here</a>.
EDUCATION EDICTS
School vouchers continue to be championed by Republicans in state legislatures. There are voucher programs in 14 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Vouchers have long been <a href="[link removed]">criticized</a> for diverting taxpayers' dollars from public schools to private schools with no transparency or requirement to adhere to federal protections for children, and for <a href="[link removed]">leaving rural students in the dust</a>. In December, the <a href="[link removed]">Wall Street Journal reported</a> that these initiatives, heralded as allowing "school choice," are not expanding opportunities for low-income students, but merely subsidizing more wealthy families who children already attend private school. States without income limits on vouchers risk <a href="[link removed]">eating up state budgets</a>. In <a href="[link removed]">Arizona</a>, Governor Katie Hobbs is looking to rein in the program that analysts say could exceed $900 million and establish accountability. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the <a href="[link removed]">Texas House</a> voted against instating a voucher system which would drain essential funds from rural school districts and disadvantage rural students who live in areas where private schools are few and far between.
HEALTH CARE ACCESS
Rural health care is greatly limited by residents' zip code and access to <a href="[link removed]">transportation</a>. Certain policies are now restricting access to care further. After the fall of <i>Roe v. Wade</i>, states with abortion bans have seen maternity care coverage <a href="[link removed]">shrink dangerously</a>. The issue is particularly harmful to Indigenous women, who often live over <a href="[link removed]">30 miles</a> from the nearest obstetric unit. Barriers to care prevent pregnant women from receiving necessary check-ups and have lead to an <a href="[link removed]">increase in disease transmission</a> endangering babies' lives. Abortion will be <a href="[link removed]">on the ballot</a> in 2024. Initiatives will do more than protect a women's right to choose whether she has an abortion – they'll determine whether she has access to nearby life-saving maternity care if she wants to have a baby, too.
HOT DISH WITH MONTANA SENATOR JON TESTER
2024 OCP Rural Champion Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) joined co-hosts Heidi Heitkamp and Joel Heitkamp to discuss crafting a Farm Bill for small farmers as well as rural outreach and revitalization. <a href="[link removed]">Listen here</a>.
LOOKING AHEAD
As if there weren't enough going on already, 2024 is also a presidential election year! The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary are right around the corner: Monday, January 15: Iowa caucuses Tuesday, January 23: New Hampshire primary The next episode of <a href="[link removed]">The Hot Dish</a> will feature voices on the ground in Iowa as we delve into the 2024 elections.
ICYMI
Colorado Newsline: <a href="[link removed]">With abortion on the 2024 ballot, campaigns could see millions in funding from familiar players</a> New York Times: <a href="[link removed]">Why Iowa Turned So Red When Nearby States Went Blue</a>
Wall Street Journal: <a href="[link removed]">Big 2024 Presidential Election Changes Are Leaving Voters Baffled</a>
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