Spotlighting the Needs of Rural America

Floor Speech

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Mr. DELGADO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to put a spotlight on rural America and urge Congress to pass my bill, the Rebuild Rural America Act.

Rural America is being left behind. In my district, the eighth most rural in the country, we are still fighting for broadband access and consistent cell service.

With so much of the private market focusing on population density in order to achieve high returns on capital investment, many of our less populated communities are left to their own devices.

Here, at the Federal level, where the public good is contemplated, we must ensure that no community is boxed out of the future. That is why I introduced the Rebuild Rural America Act, which creates the rural future partnership fund and provides $50 billion for noncompetitive, 5- year, renewable block grants to certified rural regions to implement locally developed revitalization plans.

This bill helps communities that don't have the resources to navigate the complex Federal grants process to secure Federal funding for important projects, and it would move the Federal Government away from being complicated, siloed, and top-down into a more responsive and effective partner for our rural communities.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass the Rebuild Rural America Act.

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