Good afternoon,

Hope you enjoyed President's Day Weekend. The federal holiday commemorates all 46 American chief executives – but according to historians and presidential experts, some presidents deserve more accolades than others. Former President Donald Trump, despite grand promises to make America great again, ranked dead last amongst U.S. presidents in the Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey. President Joe Biden debuted on the list at number 14.

This survey is no indicator of polling or how the 2024 presidential election will play out. It's merely a thumbed nose after Trump was hit with a $354 million fine – not including interest – in a civil fraud case after a New York judge ruled that the former president lied about his wealth to secure loans and make deals.

Other recent developments in his many legal troubles:

• On February 12, Trump appeared in federal court in Fort Pierce for a closed-door hearing centered on the procedures for handling classified evidence.

• On the same day, Trump filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to keep his election interference trial on hold after the federal appeals court rejected his immunity claims.

As a reminder, a CNN Iowa GOP caucus entrance poll, a New York Times/Siena College poll, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Trump would lose support from Republican voters if he is convicted.

Here's what else is happening around the nation...

AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM APPLICATIONS CLOSED

• The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provided a discount of up to $30 per month for broadband services to eligible low-income families and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.

• On February 8, the ACP stopped accepting new applications – and in late April, the program will run out of funding.

• The ACP played a critical role in expanding broadband services to rural regions and Tribal communities. Seventy-two percent of ACP subscribers used services to connect to telehealth appointments – receiving care otherwise inaccessible in rural regions far from medical centers and practitioners, and at lower cost – and nearly half of subscribers have used their service to work or apply for jobs.

• If Congress fails to provide more funding for the ACP, it will be taking away health care access and opportunities for economic growth. Congress must not only renew funding but extend the ACP's services: only a third of eligible rural households were enrolled in the ACP to begin with.

• Rural internet costs are higher than urban costs, impeding broadband adoption. But distances to institutions such as public libraries impedes residents' knowledge of and ability to sign up for federal programs like the ACP. Some rural households are located in broadband deserts, where internet services are entirely unavailable – making a discount irrelevant.

• Make no mistake: renewing ACP funding is a must. But there are more barriers to overcome to ensure more rural Americans have access to broadband, too. Read more from OCP here.

RURAL HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS CRISIS

• Housing affordability and homelessness has garnered much attention in urban centers, as advocates and policymakers and law enforcement debate the best ways to provide resources to unhoused populations. Rural areas, however, often lack the infrastructure and service providers to address homelessness.

• Affordable housing is in short supply nationwide, from Los Angeles to rural North Carolina. Nearly one in five Americans lacking housing are in rural areas. Eighty percent of unhoused people in Fayetteville, North Carolina live outdoors – on the tent, on the street, or in other places unfit for human habitation – more than almost anywhere else in the country.

• The number of children and veterans experiencing homelessness – defined by HUD as the absence of a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence – increased by 15 and 7 percent, respectively, between 2022 and 2023.

• Federal investments from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) have worked to build new affordable housing units in rural areas and rehouse veterans. These efforts, however, are outpaced by the growing rates of poverty and increasing costs of rent over the past year.

• At last year's Rural Progress Summit, OCP was joined by Robin Wolff, director of programs at Enterprise Community Partners, and Kayla Laywell, housing policy analyst at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for a panel on America's rural housing crisis. Watch here to hear about what policy solutions can make more affordable housing options accessible to rural Americans.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD funding bills expire 10 days from now, on March 1. The eight other appropriations bills will expire on March 8.
 

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