UPDATES
Republicans are Voting Against Rural Businesses in the Senate and Rural Families in House
Yesterday, Senate Republicans blocked support for small businesses which is likely to lead to 50% of independent restaurants closing in the next 6 months. The day before, nearly 200 House Republicans voted against emergency supplemental appropriations to address the shortage of infant formula (days after criticizing President Biden for not doing enough on the ...
Water Quality Improvements Coming to South Texas Thanks to ARPA
Rural Valley Water Customers in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties in South Texas are about to see better water flow and improved water quality thanks to a project funded 50% by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The project will serve customers in a 40-mile stretch from just outside Brownsville to Pharr, Texas. Salinity is ...
June 4, 2022: A West Virginia Interfaith Climate Conference
Event Details: People of faith across our state will come together to discuss our concerns for West Virginia’s changing climate, its effects on our way of life, our future, and our response. All are invited! Keynote speakers and panel discussions will feature WV faith leaders and economic, legislative, and climate experts discussing: Our shared call ...
May 19, 2022: Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program Webinar
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will host a webinar Thursday, May 19 from 1:30pm – 2:30pm EDT for potential applicants interested in the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) discretionary grant program. Register here: https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Q-ogmbFDRhCrjJTuVYqdZw Details are as follows: The Opportunity: The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Discretionary Grant Program The Department anticipates posting one or more Notices of ...
Biden Administration Takes Action to Ease Housing Burdens
May 16, 2022 The Biden Administration announced today a host of changes to increase housing supply and decrease housing costs burdening millions of Americans. These measures aim to close the housing supply shortfall over the next 5 years, and is the most comprehensive effort in history, says the White House. The plan put forth ...
Infrastructure Bill Funds Toxic Cleanup, including Wisconsin
The Infrastructure, Investments, and Jobs Act (IIJA) has allocated $3.5 billion to clean up Superfund sites across the country, and $1.4 million of that will go toward cleanup of toxic materials at the Penta Wood Products site in Burnett County, Wisconsin. The project will prevent further environmental damage to the area. Persistent toxicity is ...
Trump Admin, Meatpacking Coordinated to Knowingly Endanger Workers
Yesterday, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a new report demonstrating meatpacking industry coordination with the Trump Administration to intentionally force workers to remain in dangerous facilities and prevent the companies from being held to state and local health department regulations during the COVID-19 crisis. For two years, reporting has been sounding ...
Biden Administration Focuses on Rural Development
What do you do when your Mississippi town of under 200 people is eligible for federal aid but you are a town office of one person with another full time job? Probably you don't get any aid. The Biden administration is working to move past this barrier in rural communities across the country to ...
Trinity Children’s Center Director: We Appreciate the ARPA Support
Becky Dryburgh, Director of the Trinity Children's Center in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, shared "extreme gratitude" for a grant through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The grant enabled the opening of 200 additional child care slots in the county among 25 organizations expanding existing childcare programs or starting new ones. Childcare has been ...
Low Cost Internet for 1.5 Million Wisconsonites
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) announced by the Biden at the White House this week will reach 1.5 million Wisconsinites who are eligible to access high speed internet for no more than $30 per month. While the program already exists, the announcement is bringing attention to how widespread eligibility really is; tens of millions ...
Wisconsin’s Main Streets Are getting $25 million more in ARPA Funds
Initially, the Wisconsin Main Street Bounceback Program sent $50 million from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to 72 counties. The program is being expanded for another 6 months through December, 2022, with an additional $25 million. Grants of $10,000 each support small businesses wishing to move into vacant downtown storefronts. Working through nine regional ...
Beyond Stimulus and Vaccines, the Biden Administration is Energizing Rural Iowa
"President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, are a historic shot in the arm for the U.S. They have energized our deteriorating economy after the chaos created by the last president and his administration," writes Julie Ann Neely from Delmar, Iowa. Neely named project after project, representing millions of ...
Teacher Raises, Rural Road Work, and Tax Credits Thanks to ARPA
Missouri's state legislature approved its biggest budget ever on Friday, at $49 billion. Nearly $3 billion in federal spending is freeing up state budget dollars for investments applauded by, among others, State Senate Appropriations Chair Dan Hegeman (R). One key win in the new budget: an increase in teacher minimum wages from $25,000 per ...
April Jobs Report Shows Policies Have Worked
The jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 428,000 new jobs added to the economy in April, outpacing predictions by economists for 391,000 new jobs, cited by CNN Business. Inequality persists within these numbers, though, with unemployment among Black workers (5.9 percent) nearly double that among White workers (3.2 percent). Economists like ...
Report: ACA Subsidies Benefit Rural Residents Most
Amidst efforts by health care advocates to get Congress to renew the boosted Affordable Care Act subsidies which were enacted with the signing of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March, 2011, a new study shows that rural residents are both in the most danger regarding loss of coverage and benefit most from ...
Shane Riffle, CEO of the Brainerd Family YMCA, Celebrates 200 New Childcare Slots Thanks to ARPA
In an opinion piece published May 1, Shane Riffle, Brainerd Family YMCA CEO, praised the Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners for their stewardship of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds which came to the county. Riffle said, "On Jan. 25th, the Crow Wing County board approved grants totaling $800,000 for a list of ...
May 11, 2022: Capacity Markets and the Clean Energy Transition
As the United States transitions to a clean energy economy, capacity markets will need to respond to changes in demand, energy sources, and technologies. Join Resources for the Future (RFF) on Wednesday, May 11, for an in-depth discussion on the role capacity markets can play in the transition to a decarbonized electricity system. Join ...
May 26, 2022: How to Apply for and Manage Federal Grants
USDA Rural Development Missouri May 2, 2022 USDA Rural Development Missouri has announced a virtual workshop for effectively applying for and managing federal grants. Save the date for Thursday, May 26th at 10 AM, Central Time. Follow the link below to subscribe to updates from USDA Rural Development Missouri and be notified when a ...
New York Times Op-ed: Biden Has Already Done More for Rural America Than Trump Ever Did
The New York Times April 26, 2022 Iowa Key Quotes: In under two years in office, President Biden has done more for places like Guthrie County and other parts of rural America than Mr. Trump ever did. The rural economy is stronger, wages are higher and infrastructure projects are popping up all over. Here ...
Minnesota Grapples with Inflation; Report Blames Corporate Profits
A new report from the Groundwork Collaborative said corporations are taking advantage of the pandemic to drive up costs for things such as prescription drugs, groceries and diapers. The authors pointed to corporate earnings calls in which some CEOs openly boast about their price hikes. The report details near-record corporate profits while the U.S. ...