Good afternoon,
Happy National Agriculture Week! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2022 Census of Agriculture, <a href='[link removed]'>95%</a> of U.S. farms are family-owned and operated. Additionally, there are <a href='[link removed]'>3.4 million</a> farmers in our country, dedicated to growing safe and affordable products and providing more than 48 million jobs supported by agriculture. Family farmers are the backbone of the rural economy, and we must continue to uplift them in every way we can. One Country Project celebrates and supports family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across America.
Here are a few important updates...
ROLLIN' THE DICE WITH ECONOMIC AID FOR FARMERS
The USDA's <a href='[link removed]'>March 21st deadline</a> to open applications for $10 billion in economic assistance for American farmers is closing in. This assistance is part of a larger package of nearly $31 billion that includes disaster aid for farmers affected by natural disasters during the last two years. The aid was approved by Congress in December and USDA Chief Brooke Rollins has <a href='[link removed]'>promised</a> farmers that the funds would be ready by this deadline. Farmers are in desperate need of this aid as many are '<a href='[link removed]'>feeling the impact of federal funding cuts and trade policies</a>.' Just last week, the USDA <a href='[link removed]'>canceled two programs</a> that provided schools and food banks funds to buy food from local farms and ranchers.
With the Friday deadline looming, all eyes are on Rollins to see if she will pull through for rural America. Rather than putting farmers first and funding the programs that support them, the Trump administration has made choices that have created uncertainty, caused prices to skyrocket, and resulted in shrinking markets. Farmers deserve better and rolling the dice with their economic security is the last thing our government should be doing.
RURAL HEALTHCARE IS SCARCE AND MAY BE GETTING SCARCER
Access to healthcare for rural Americans is scarce and may be getting scarcer. According to a KFF Health News analysis, nearly <a href='[link removed]'>3 million</a> people live sicker and die earlier on average in more than 200 rural counties across the country that lack access to healthcare and reliable internet. Good access to telehealth visits could close that gap, but now, the Trump administration, goaded along by their allies in Congress, are going after '<a href='[link removed]'>a $42 billion infrastructure program launched in 2021 to bring high-speed internet to all Americans</a>.' To make matters worse, the GOP is looking to <a href='[link removed]'>cut</a> Medicaid funding. The Daily Yonder reports that 'Nationally, health policy experts warn that any cuts to Medicaid are likely to cause more trouble for rural hospitals than urban ones. That's due in part because rural residents are more likely to be enrolled in Medicaid.'
Sadly, these actions by the administration are not shocking and only reinforce that President Donald Trump's leadership is leading us into trouble. More must be done to address the rural health crisis and ensure rural Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare. For an administration that has a large base in rural America, they are doing an extremely poor job at supporting individuals in these communities.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
<a href='[link removed]'>768</a>– The number of rural U.S. hospitals that are at risk of closing according to a new report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. The healthcare finance policy organization identified Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mississippi as the states with the most at-risk hospitals.
LOOKING AHEAD
On <a href='[link removed]'>March 26, SCOTUS</a> will hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of federal funding for rural broadband service.
WHAT WE'RE READING
Politico: <a href='[link removed]'>Top Broadband Official Exits Commerce Department with Sharp Musk Warning</a>
Rolling Stone: <a href='[link removed]'>Outgoing Broadband Chief Issues Stark Warning Against Elon Musk</a>
The Daily Yonder: <a href='[link removed]'>GOP Cuts to Medicaid Could Threaten Rural Hospitals</a>
Morning AgClips: <a href='[link removed]'>With Bird Flu in Raw Milk, Many in US Still Do Not Know Risks of Consuming It</a>
The Guardian: <a href='[link removed]'>Trump Administration Poised to 'Strand Rural America With Worse Internet' to Help Musk, Official Warns</a>
The Daily Yonder<a href='[link removed]'>: Slim Margins, Climate Disasters, and Trump's Funding Freeze: Life or Death for Many US Farmers</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 <a href='[link removed]' target='_blank'>The Hot Dish</a> podcast.
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