In a flurry of Executive Orders on his first day in office, the Trump administration took aim at two historic laws that could have tremendous effects on rural and small town America.

This executive order pauses funding for projects currently in progress under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act – pieces of legislation that have funded over 74,000 projects across the country with the goal of updating infrastructure, modernizing the electrical grid, and making the place a little more livable for all of us.

Both Republican and Democratic officials have called out the President saying this is an illegal – and very shortsighted – withholding of funds that were duly passed by Congress.

No one knows how long this pause will last or exactly what actions or lawsuits might be filed in response. But once the flow of money dries up, states will no longer be able to pay contracts or workers, and progress on critical projects will grind to a halt.

Small towns and rural areas rely on safe bridges, modernized sewage systems, updated electrical grids, and expanded high-speed internet infrastructure in their communities.

Within these bills are thousands and thousands of projects that are putting rural folks to work and making their towns livable, productive, and prosperous:

* New technologies and digital tools are making it easier for rural clinics to hold telehealth appointments for seniors.
* Drinking and wastewater modernization is bringing new, clean water systems to 100,000 Tribal households.
* High-speed internet infrastructure is being laid in out-of-the-way communities where workers, students, and small business owners depend on it for their livelihoods.
* And farmers and ranchers are taking advantage of grants to implement new energy technologies that lower utility bills.

These are pressing needs that greatly benefit rural Americans – but if these communities are suddenly thrown by the wayside, in the middle of critical upgrades, it will set them back by decades.

Heidi

Heidi Heitkamp, Former U.S. Senator from North Dakota
Founder, One Country Project



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