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.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy calls on cattle producers to retain breeding cows while Ivomec receives emergency authorization to prevent New World screwworm.
February 06, 2026 11:48 AM
·
The House Agriculture Committee is set to debate a new, “skinny” Farm Bill at the end of February, according to a release from Committee Chairman Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson.
February 05, 2026 12:35 PM
·
Regulatory uncertainty could slow the growth of fiber and grain hemp unless implementation is delayed.
February 04, 2026 05:00 PM
·
As cattle markets show renewed strength, producers gathering at CattleCon are focused on protecting operations, managing risk, and positioning for opportunity in the year ahead.
February 04, 2026 01:41 PM
·
Mexico has fallen behind by several hundred thousand acre-feet in required water deliveries to the United States, a shortfall that has had devastating consequences across the Rio Grande Valley.
February 04, 2026 12:23 PM
·
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas discusses expected changes to the 45Z tax credit and what they could mean for agriculture and rural America.
February 04, 2026 11:13 AM
·