Good afternoon,

The mounting chaos within our federal government continued to pile up over the weekend. Yesterday, the White House came out saying '<a href='[link removed]'>Elon Musk is technically not part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)</a>,' despite the tech billionaire's obvious position atop its reckless efforts to gut government agencies. The <a href='[link removed]'>contradictory statements</a> about 'doge' are extremely problematic, making it unclear to the American people who runs the new agency and who, if anyone, they actually report to. To mark Presidents Day, thousands of people <a href='[link removed]'>protested</a> in Washington, D.C. and around the country, declaring their dissatisfaction of the actions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Many called on Congress to take action and hold the executive branch accountable. We're frustrated and perhaps you should be too.

Here are a few important updates ...

MASS FIRINGS HIT USDA

Brooke Rollins got the ball rolling very quickly after being <a href='[link removed]'>sworn in</a> last Thursday as Agriculture secretary. She is already working to bring Trump's Project 2025 plans to life, including cutting spending, gutting the federal workforce, and rolling back diversity initiatives.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration's mass federal firings have finally <a href='[link removed]'>reached the U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>, wiping out loan analysts in Farm Service Agency field offices, ag scientists, and about 1,200 staff of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. While the total number of firings is unknown at this time, more than 200,000 federal employees across the country are on probationary status.

Experts say these sweeping cuts and changes to the USDA workforce will have major consequences for farmers, including making it difficult to get USDA loans. Additionally, <em>Successful Farming</em> reported that 'many of the impacted staff work in county offices, often serving as farmers' first points of contact when applying for a federal program.' It's only a matter of time before farmers and those working in agriculture start to feel the burden of these firings and the USDA loses its footing as a critical government agency.

SO MUCH FOR SECURING RURAL SCHOOLS

The House and Senate recently reintroduced the <a href='[link removed]'>Secure Rural Schools Act,</a> which was not reauthorized in December. The legislation '<a href='[link removed]'>provides about $250 million a year for schools and infrastructure in more than 700 rural counties with wide swaths of federal land</a>.' As a result of the measure failing to be renewed, budgets of rural communities have been strained, many that strongly supported President Trump and Republicans in the 2024 election. The reauthorization failed to pass due to new rules around funding legislation, implemented by House Republican leadership.

According to federal <a href='[link removed]'>data</a>, 20.3% of America's public school students attended rural schools in 2022. As <a href='[link removed]'>reported</a> in <em>Education Weekly</em>, 'for the last several decades, rural districts in many parts of the country have had to make significant cuts, merge operations with each other, and even shut down entirely.' The December failure begs the question of whether Republicans will fulfill their promises of supporting voters living in rural America.

OCP urges rural Americans to pay close attention to any developments surrounding the Secure Rural Schools Act and make your voices heard. President Trump and congressional Republicans must not walk back on the promises they made when campaigning. They talked the talk in the campaign; now it's time to walk the walk in Congress.

EGG-O-NOMICS WEEKLY

Last week, the average price for class A large eggs was $8.14, a 32.57-percent* increase since the week of January 17^th.

*Based on USDA weekly average pricing for class A large eggs.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

<a href='[link removed]'>58</a> (and counting) - The number of confirmed cases of measles in West Texas. The outbreak has now spread to 5 counties. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world but is <a href='[link removed].'>easily preventable by vaccination</a>. None of the 58 confirmed cases were vaccinated. This outbreak comes just after the Republican-controlled Senate, on a party-line vote, confirmed vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. One of Kennedy's first steps was to fire over half of the CDC's aptly named <a href='[link removed]'>disease detectives</a> who are the nation's first line of defense to identify and combat disease outbreaks.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Senate confirmation votes for Howard Lutnick for Secretary of Commerce will happen this week, with the vote happening as soon as this evening.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Hearing for the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be Secretary of Labor will be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, February 19^th.

WHAT WE'RE READING

The Daily Yonder: <a href='[link removed]'>Commentary: The Trump Administration's Attempt to Wipe Public Data is Censorship. Here's Why That's Dangerous.</a>PBS: <a href='[link removed]'>Farmers feeling weight of Trump policies with shutdown of aid</a>MSNBC: <a href='[link removed]'>On multiple fronts, Trump finds new ways to undermine farmers' interests</a>The Daily Yonder: <a href='[link removed]'>Commentary: Trump Administration's Transportation Formula Would Penalize Many Rural Virginia Areas that Voted Strongly for Him</a>

Be sure to follow the One Country Project on <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Bluesky</a>, <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Twitter</a>, <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Facebook</a> and <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>Substack</a>, and listen to&nbsp;<a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>The Hot Dish</a> podcast.


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