Rural Development

Access to healthcare is a major challenge for patients and providers alike in rural communities across America, including in small cities and villages across Nebraska’s Third District. Families face long driving distances when they need care most, and a lack of patient density impedes the finances of providers striving to serve expansive areas.

During Independence Day weekend, the blessings of freedom and the memories of the American patriots who laid the foundation for our republic with the Declaration of Independence give us cause to celebrate! The United States has abundant natural resources, the world’s leading economy, and limitless opportunity, but our people are our greatest gift. 

As American families make travel plans and assess energy costs for their farms and businesses during the summer, it is as important as ever to champion domestic production of affordable fuels. While gasoline prices in Nebraska are down 5.6 percent from this time a year ago, and diesel prices are down 5.8 percent, tensions around the world put supply chains and energy security at risk.

This week our nation marked 163 years since the signing of the Homestead Act, legislation enacted by President Lincoln which played a key role in the development of farmland across Nebraska and rural America. Through perseverance, resourcefulness, and sacrifice, the Third District became a global breadbasket, and today, agriculture remains the economic driver of our state.