Thread by @anthonypipa

The launch of Rural Partners Network (RPN) last week capped a busy 6+ weeks of action on rural policy, marked by welcome & increased attention to federal support for rural prosperity by a diverse set of policymakers. #RuralMatters #DoRightByRural

Let's review:🧵1/

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1516816462085767171

In early March, the #RuralProsperityAct (RPA) is introduced by a bipartisan group led by @SenMarkKelly @SenJoniErnst
@SenGillibrand @ChuckGrassley @AngieCraigMN @RepNewhouse, & joined by @RepCindyAxne @RepAdrianSmith @RepOHalleran @RepFeenstra. 2/
craig.house.gov/media/press-re…

RPA would create a WH Office of Rural Prosperity to coordinate across federal gov’t, led by a
Chief Rural Advisor. It would also form a Rural Prosperity Council w cabinet heads & mandate the creation of a (sorely needed) #NationalRuralStrategy. 3/ dailyyonder.com/bipartisan-bil…

Love this video by @SenMarkKelly highlighting the fragmentation of federal $$ for rural community & economic devp, and the need to cut through red tape. Like we keep saying: over 400 programs spread across 13 depts & 50 agencies...! 4/

https://twitter.com/SenMarkKelly/status/1504570008051101700

A couple weeks later @SenateAgDems @SenateAgGOP held a hearing on the #rural care economy, an issue critical to the economic health & resilience of #rural communities. 5/ agriculture.senate.gov/hearings/rural…

135 rural hospitals have closed since 2010. 453 are vulnerable to closure.

As @USDA Under Secretary Xochi Torres Small says, this is an existential issue.

And an economic one. W/each closure, per capita income ↓ 4% & unemployment ↑ 1.6%. 6/

https://twitter.com/RuralOrganizing/status/1506319913094328323?s=20&t=mdRamVmNiuRIaTLxhntWtA

Torres Small & @SenGillibrand discussed importance of making grant $$ accessible to underserved rural communities. @JohnBoozman also pointed this out.

The flexible block grant funding in @SenGillibrand’s #RebuildRuralAmericaAct would help this. 7/

https://twitter.com/RuralOrganizing/status/1506328372024020992

A few days later @RepCindyAxne @RepFrankLucas introduced bipartisan legislation to give rural communities more flexibility in using federal $$ to address homelessness, including providing short-term emergency housing & funding capacity building work. 8/ axne.house.gov/media/press-re…

Then in early April @POTUS signed bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act to ensure a strong and healthy @USPS, a critical lifeline to #rural communities. It included expanded support for local newspapers. 9/ oversight.house.gov/news/press-rel…

Soon afterwards, @WhiteHouse @MitchLandrieu46 announced the Building a Better America Rural Infrastructure Tour, which @POTUS kicked off in Iowa. 10/ thehill.com/news/administr…

An important complement was the release of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook, to help rural leaders understand the “what, when, where, and how to apply” so they can access billions of funding in #IIJA that could benefit their community. 11/ whitehouse.gov/build/rural/

On April 15 came the release of #EquityActionPlans by more than 90 federal agencies, including @usdaRD, responding to @POTUS Exec Order on Racial Equity & Support for Underserved Communities. Good to have rural be a key part of this drive for equity. 12/

https://twitter.com/anthonypipa/status/1514740127792340994

That was also highlighted by @USDA opening of nominations for Rural Community Economic Devp Subcommittee of its #EquityCommission to address past discrimination & barriers to racial equity within agency programs. Nominations open until May 6. 13/
federalregister.gov/documents/2022…

Last week @WhiteHouse launched #RuralPartnersNetwork (RPN) to “bring the federal gov’t to rural America,” placing staff local to help rural communities access federal $$ from IIJA, ARPA, & more. 14/ whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…

RPN will place @USDA staff to serve 25+ communities & help rural leaders identify/utilize federal resources + build local capacity. 13 agencies will dedicate personnel to liaise w RPN & participate in a new Rural Prosperity Interagency Policy Council. 15/ agdaily.com/news/network-p…

Heartening to see that many of these initiatives respond to improvements in federal policy that rural areas have been clamoring for:
↑ flexibility ↓ barriers for underserved places
↑ coordination & coherence
↑ in capacity & tech assistance
↑ commitment & presence 16/

These are among the very things highlighted by our Reimagining Rural Policy report, as well as publications by others such as @AspenCSG @stlouisfed @RuralHome @headecon @amprog @MarkHaggerty20 @CorianneScally @AndrewMDumont @gbenga_ajilore @CeeJayEstes 17/brookings.edu/research/reima…

If the report is too dang long (maybe like this thread - which, let's be honest, is a good thing, since it means there's been lots of activity ;-), here's the short version in a 3-minute video!

All this is a good start. Impt to keep up the momentum. End

https://twitter.com/BrookingsInst/status/1518229523157983234?s=20&t=PEMR1tWmJRATOtx7x5rzzg

Addl note: whoops, so much going on that I neglected to mention the report issued by @CFPB about the financial challenges facing rural areas - esp the issue of banking deserts. Great to see attention to this by @chopracfpb & expanded efforts by CFPB.

consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsr…