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.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) are praising the passage of a bill to delist gray wolves as an endangered species by the U.S. House last week.
December 22, 2025 01:23 PM
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USDA Undersecretary Luke Lindberg told RFD-TV News that we can only guess what Congress will do down the road. Still, the USDA recognizes its responsibility to spend resources efficiently and effectively.
December 22, 2025 12:40 PM
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Tight feeder supplies and lower placements indicate continued support for the cattle market, with regional impacts heightened in Texas by reduced feeder imports.
December 22, 2025 10:10 AM
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Michelle Perez shares more about the American Farmland Trust’s resource to help farmers and producers plan soil health improvements.
December 19, 2025 02:03 PM
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Jeff Johnston with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange explains the growing role of Rural America in supporting the nation’s digital infrastructure.
December 19, 2025 01:43 PM
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NRECA CEO Jim Matheson reacts to the U.S. House’s passage of the SPEED Act, which aims to streamline federal permitting for energy and infrastructure projects, and discusses its potential impact on rural communities.
December 19, 2025 01:14 PM
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