Good afternoon,
"If you're going through hell... quit while you're still in second" is perhaps another thing Ron DeSantis <a href="[link removed]">believes Winston Churchill said</a>. After coming up short in his presidential bid, Florida's governor is the latest Republican to drop out of the race. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is now the lone remaining candidate facing off with former president Donald Trump in today's New Hampshire primary.
Unlike in Iowa, the weather is not forecast to stop anyone from fulfilling their civic duty. New Hampshire voters are some of the most engaged in the country, boasting a history of <a href="[link removed]">high turnout</a> in presidential election cycles -- and today, voter turnout is expected to <a href="[link removed]">set a record</a>. While Trump is likely to bag another win in the Granite State, heading in with a <a href="[link removed]">double-digit lead</a>, Haley is hoping that Independents -- who are able to vote in either the Democrat or Republican primary -- will give her a boost before she heads home to hope for a win in South Carolina.
We'll be keeping our eyes on the polls and give you a readout next week. Until then, here's what else is happening...
WOMEN'S HEALTH IN CRISIS
Today, on Maternal Health Awareness Day, maternal health across the country is in <a href="[link removed]">crisis</a>. In the U.S., <a href="[link removed]">nearly 7 million women</a> live in communities with little to no maternity care access, and 2.2 million women live in maternity care deserts where no obstetric care is available. Rural residents are disproportionately affected: rural counties comprise <a href="[link removed]">two in three</a> maternity care deserts.
Financial difficulties and staffing challenges have pushed more than <a href="[link removed]">30 percent of our nation's rural hospitals</a> to the brink of closure. The overturn of <i>Roe v. Wade</i>, which would have celebrated its fifty-first anniversary yesterday, exacerbated barriers to maternal care. In states with abortion bans, <a href="[link removed]">87% of OB/GYNs</a> reported fears about legal constraints that restricted their clinical practice and 11% of physicians have left.
States with the most restrictive abortion bans already had the highest rates of pregnancy-related mortality prior to the <i>Dobbs</i> decision that brought down <i>Roe</i>. Losing clinicians could contribute to maternity ward closures, further widening maternal health deserts and worsening health outcomes in rural regions.
We must improve maternal health outcomes by bolstering funding for rural hospitals and maintaining access to off-site care units to ensure that these hospitals are able to continue providing critical care to patients in rural communities. <a href="[link removed]">Read more from OCP on addressing the maternal health crisis here.</a>
SNOW SHOVES FY2024 FUNDING BILLS TO COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY
Residents in the D.C. area are all too familiar with the region's poor snow infrastructure. A few inches are enough to cause chaos. Republicans in Congress prefer chaos of their own making, rather than weather-related events. On Thursday, seeking to get out of town before the second snowstorm of the week scrambled travel, the 118th Congress passed their third continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.
This CR extends Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD funding until March 1 and the rest of the appropriations bills until March 8.
The vicious cycle of brinkmanship is inhibiting this Congress' ability to pass legislation that affects meaningful change. Rural Americans need tangible solutions amidst an ongoing health care crisis and an updated <a href="[link removed]">Farm Bill</a> that secures the future of farming, expands paid family leave, and enables economic growth in rural regions.
ICYMI
Minnesota Star Tribune: <a href="[link removed]">Fosston hospital latest in rural Minnesota to stop delivering babies</a>
Mississippi Today: <a href="[link removed]">A small town struggles to survive in the heart of Mississippi's hospital crisis</a>
Daily Yonder: <a href="[link removed]">Analysis: Rural Families Need Broadband Subsidy Program More but Use It Less</a>
The Washington Post: <a href="[link removed]">States expand low-interest loan programs for farms, businesses and new housing</a>
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