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.
Strong feedlot demand keeps beef-on-dairy calf premiums elevated.
April 06, 2026 04:30 PM
·
Roger McEowen discusses how long-term healthcare costs for elderly Americans are reshaping estate-planning decisions for farm families and what producers should consider moving forward.
April 06, 2026 02:23 PM
·
Farmer Jeffry Mitchell with the Mississippi Farm Bureau joins us for a spring planting update from the southeast region as drought, input costs, and fertilizer access complicate crop progress.
April 06, 2026 02:04 PM
·
Cattle producers face mounting pressure as U.S.-Mexico trade talks resume, but expanding drought, rising input costs, and policy work to improve the long-term industry outlook.
April 06, 2026 01:27 PM
·
The White House’s plan calls for a nearly 20 percent reduction in the USDA’s budget, which would impact various food and agriculture aid programs.
April 06, 2026 12:08 PM
·
More Farms File for Bankruptcy As Strong Farm Loan Demand Boosts Bank Earnings
April 06, 2026 12:02 PM
·
