Bipartisan Call for Rural Funding in Stimulus
January 12, 2009
Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), along with 29 of their colleagues, sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) late Friday urging them to ensure that rural areas receive an equitable share of any economic stimulus package.
“People across this country are struggling to pay their mortgages and afford rising health care costs, but rural communities are being hit even harder by the tough economy,” said Congressman Thompson. “Congress must ensure that America's rural areas receive their fair share of any economic stimulus package by investing in the highways, bridges, and other infrastructure that are the arteries of our country's economy. America cannot be restored to greatness without the help of all Americans, not just those in urban areas.”
"Throughout rural Appalachia, successful public-private partnerships are thriving from small seed monies. Rural America can prosper from the sparks of funding a stimulus bill can ignite for long range job development and sustainability. The upcoming stimulus bill must be primed to unleash rural America's potential," said Congressman Rahall, Co-Chairman of the House Appalachian Caucus.
“Rural areas in Tennessee and much of the Southeast, especially farming communities, have been challenged over the last few years with severe droughts, and the current recession has only made things worse for families and county economies,” Congressman Gordon said. “Investing in rural communities by funding projects that update America's electric grid and expand broadband internet access will not only create jobs, but also establish the necessary infrastructure for our country to compete in the 21st Century.”
“Rural areas, like Imperial County in California, are hurting in this time of economic crisis,” said Congressman Filner. “Congress must ensure that the stimulus bill includes mechanisms to give rural areas their fair share of economic stimulus and job creation funding to advance economic development projects. Local representatives of rural communities also need to mobilize to ensure their voices are heard when funds, like transportation dollars, are distributed by state lawmakers. When all levels of government work together, then we can make a big difference.”
The text of the letter is below:
January 9, 2009
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
As Congress continues to craft an economic stimulus package, it is critical that the benefits of any stimulus are broadly distributed throughout rural, urban, and suburban America. Approximately 50 million Americans live in rural communities. An economic stimulus package must recognize that rural Americans make vital contributions to our economy and face the same struggles with rising unemployment as people living in urban and suburban communities. In fact, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for non-metropolitan areas were higher each quarter in 2008 than for metropolitan areas. We urge you to support provisions in an economic stimulus package to ensure that rural communities receive their fair share of federal funds.
We strongly support your continued efforts to include infrastructure spending in a recovery package. However, legislation with infrastructure spending that ultimately only funds projects in urban and suburban communities will fail to provide the broad economic benefit the American people expect. Facing rising unemployment, rural America cannot afford to be shortchanged in an economic recovery package. As representatives of rural districts, we know that rural communities are prepared with ready-to-go infrastructure projects that could put people to work within months. Rural communities have the workforce and the infrastructure needs to effectively utilize new federal spending. Rural areas should be provided with an equitable share of economic stimulus funds to improve their local economies just like metropolitan communities.
The Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act of 2008, H.R. 7110, included a provision to distribute stimulus funds between rural and metropolitan communities. Funds in the Federal Transit Administration Transit Capital Assistance Grants were specifically reserved for rural formula grants. Congress should build on the precedent created by the transit funds in the Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act with guarantees in new economic recovery legislation to ensure an equitable distribution of all infrastructure funds between rural and metropolitan areas.
We look forward to working with you to improve our nation's economy and strengthen rural America through the economic recovery package. Thank you for your continued leadership during this economic crisis.
Sincerely,
Rep. Mike Thompson
Rep. Nick Rahall
Rep. Bart Gordon
Rep. Bob Filner
Rep. Joe Baca
Rep. John Barrow
Rep. Marion Berry
Rep. Dan Boren
Rep. Leonard Boswell
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito
Rep. Chris Carney
Rep. Ben Chandler
Rep. Travis Childers
Rep. Jim Costa
Rep. Jerry Costello
Rep. Henry Cuellar
Rep. Lincoln Davis
Rep. Bob Etheridge
Rep. Frank Kratovil Jr.
Rep. Jim Marshall
Rep. Eric Massa
Rep. Jim Matheson
Rep. Charlie Melancon
Rep. Mike Michaud
Rep. Alan Mollohan
Rep. Collin Peterson
Rep. Mike Ross
Rep. John Salazar
Rep. Heath Shuler
Rep. Mike Simpson
Rep. John Tanner
Rep. Tim Walz
Rep. Peter Welch
###
Contacts:
Laurel Brown (Thompson), 202-225-3311
Kent Keyser (Rahall), 202- 225-3452
Kinsey Kiriakos (Gordon), 202- 225-0685
Alexis Gelperin (Filner), 619-889-5963
“People across this country are struggling to pay their mortgages and afford rising health care costs, but rural communities are being hit even harder by the tough economy,” said Congressman Thompson. “Congress must ensure that America's rural areas receive their fair share of any economic stimulus package by investing in the highways, bridges, and other infrastructure that are the arteries of our country's economy. America cannot be restored to greatness without the help of all Americans, not just those in urban areas.”
"Throughout rural Appalachia, successful public-private partnerships are thriving from small seed monies. Rural America can prosper from the sparks of funding a stimulus bill can ignite for long range job development and sustainability. The upcoming stimulus bill must be primed to unleash rural America's potential," said Congressman Rahall, Co-Chairman of the House Appalachian Caucus.
“Rural areas in Tennessee and much of the Southeast, especially farming communities, have been challenged over the last few years with severe droughts, and the current recession has only made things worse for families and county economies,” Congressman Gordon said. “Investing in rural communities by funding projects that update America's electric grid and expand broadband internet access will not only create jobs, but also establish the necessary infrastructure for our country to compete in the 21st Century.”
“Rural areas, like Imperial County in California, are hurting in this time of economic crisis,” said Congressman Filner. “Congress must ensure that the stimulus bill includes mechanisms to give rural areas their fair share of economic stimulus and job creation funding to advance economic development projects. Local representatives of rural communities also need to mobilize to ensure their voices are heard when funds, like transportation dollars, are distributed by state lawmakers. When all levels of government work together, then we can make a big difference.”
The text of the letter is below:
January 9, 2009
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
As Congress continues to craft an economic stimulus package, it is critical that the benefits of any stimulus are broadly distributed throughout rural, urban, and suburban America. Approximately 50 million Americans live in rural communities. An economic stimulus package must recognize that rural Americans make vital contributions to our economy and face the same struggles with rising unemployment as people living in urban and suburban communities. In fact, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for non-metropolitan areas were higher each quarter in 2008 than for metropolitan areas. We urge you to support provisions in an economic stimulus package to ensure that rural communities receive their fair share of federal funds.
We strongly support your continued efforts to include infrastructure spending in a recovery package. However, legislation with infrastructure spending that ultimately only funds projects in urban and suburban communities will fail to provide the broad economic benefit the American people expect. Facing rising unemployment, rural America cannot afford to be shortchanged in an economic recovery package. As representatives of rural districts, we know that rural communities are prepared with ready-to-go infrastructure projects that could put people to work within months. Rural communities have the workforce and the infrastructure needs to effectively utilize new federal spending. Rural areas should be provided with an equitable share of economic stimulus funds to improve their local economies just like metropolitan communities.
The Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act of 2008, H.R. 7110, included a provision to distribute stimulus funds between rural and metropolitan communities. Funds in the Federal Transit Administration Transit Capital Assistance Grants were specifically reserved for rural formula grants. Congress should build on the precedent created by the transit funds in the Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act with guarantees in new economic recovery legislation to ensure an equitable distribution of all infrastructure funds between rural and metropolitan areas.
We look forward to working with you to improve our nation's economy and strengthen rural America through the economic recovery package. Thank you for your continued leadership during this economic crisis.
Sincerely,
Rep. Mike Thompson
Rep. Nick Rahall
Rep. Bart Gordon
Rep. Bob Filner
Rep. Joe Baca
Rep. John Barrow
Rep. Marion Berry
Rep. Dan Boren
Rep. Leonard Boswell
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito
Rep. Chris Carney
Rep. Ben Chandler
Rep. Travis Childers
Rep. Jim Costa
Rep. Jerry Costello
Rep. Henry Cuellar
Rep. Lincoln Davis
Rep. Bob Etheridge
Rep. Frank Kratovil Jr.
Rep. Jim Marshall
Rep. Eric Massa
Rep. Jim Matheson
Rep. Charlie Melancon
Rep. Mike Michaud
Rep. Alan Mollohan
Rep. Collin Peterson
Rep. Mike Ross
Rep. John Salazar
Rep. Heath Shuler
Rep. Mike Simpson
Rep. John Tanner
Rep. Tim Walz
Rep. Peter Welch
###
Contacts:
Laurel Brown (Thompson), 202-225-3311
Kent Keyser (Rahall), 202- 225-3452
Kinsey Kiriakos (Gordon), 202- 225-0685
Alexis Gelperin (Filner), 619-889-5963
Issues:Jobs & Economy