Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy is doubling down on rural hospitals and the role they play in rural communities.
Speaking alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbot, he says that rural health goes far beyond the hospital walls.
According to the Secretary, “These institutions are not just medical providers, they’re, in most cases, they’re the single largest employer in those areas. They have the highest paying jobs, and when they lose them, they, as we talked about before and it’s not just the hospital that closes. It’s the pharmacy that closes. It’s the stores that close, and the community collapses. So we have to, and President Trump understands, preserve these rural hospitals, and they were closing at an epidemic rate.”
Some of these issues are being addressed.
The recently passed Big Beautiful Bill includes the Rural Transformation Program. It will spend $50 billion over the course of five years, helping offset other provisions in that legislation.
Federal assistance has helped, but the most recent row-crop losses remain on producers’ balance sheets.
February 09, 2026 01:07 PM
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OOIDA’s Lewie Pugh discusses the EPA’s new Right to Repair guidance and other regulatory developments impacting the trucking and agriculture industries.
February 09, 2026 12:47 PM
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Tyler Schuster is an ag industry advocate who mentors and supports the next generation, especially women finding their place in the cattle industry.
February 09, 2026 12:35 PM
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NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart breaks down CAFO permits, EPA enforcement, and what cattle producers need to know as rules continue to evolve.
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Rebuilding domestic textiles depends on automation and vertical integration, not tariffs or legacy manufacturing models.
February 09, 2026 12:05 PM
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RFD NEWS correspondent Frank McCaffrey spoke with U.S. Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and John Rose (R-TN), who say bipartisan cooperation will be key to getting the Farm Bill to the president’s desk.
February 09, 2026 11:46 AM
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