Robert Leonard writes about the Midwest. His recent piece at The New York Times is titled, “Biden Has Already Done More for Rural America Than Trump Ever Did.”
A taste:
In under two years in office, President Biden has done more for places like Guthrie County and other parts of rural America than Mr. Trump ever did. The rural economy is stronger, wages are higher and infrastructure projects are popping up all over.
Mr. Biden and his fellow Democrats are responsible for many of the improvements and for bringing back a sense of stability. For the midterms, they should run on these successes — the American Rescue Plan, the infrastructure bill. And they should run on why they have worked: Democrats should run on Democratic values.
Mr. Biden promised to be a president “for all Americans.” He stressed building things and working with Republicans — and he has succeeded, most prominently on the bipartisan infrastructure bill (supported by our Republican senator Chuck Grassley).
Here in Marion County, where I live, some modest investments will make a big difference, like partial funding of a new shop for road equipment, which will extend the life of expensive equipment by sheltering it from rain and snow, or the repairs and upgrades at the law enforcement and public health centers and at the courthouse.
Last week, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Representative Axne noted that $5 billion from the infrastructure bill will reach Iowa and is targeted to help rural areas. The infrastructure bill is so obviously beneficial to the communities that even Republicans who voted against it are taking credit.
Inflation is a big problem here, as it is everywhere. But Mr. Biden is doing what he can to alleviate its impact. In Menlo, he announced that he was temporarily lifting environmental restrictions on the sale of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol, called E15, to help lower fuel costs and our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
Furthermore, many places far from cities are facing health care crises, with more than 450 rural hospitals in danger of closing. With funds from the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration program Emergency Rural Health Care Grants will award up to $43 million to benefit 2.2 million people across 22 states.
It’s not all about what the president has done; some of his success is in what he has undone or cleaned up. Last May, Mr. Biden ended the ill-conceived Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which was intended to get provisions to families. Some families benefited, but it was unfortunately, at the height of the pandemic, a boondoggle. A new supply chain had to get the boxes from farmers to food banks that competed directly with local grocery stores. The program was mismanaged and used for political gain.
Read the rest here.