Obama Administration Announces Rural Tour
Obama Administration Announces Rural Tour
President Obama has announced that he and members of his administration will participate in a Rural Tour this summer to hold a series of discussions on how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to help strengthen rural America.
Vice President Joe Biden and Secretaries Gary Locke and Tom Vilsack kicked off the Rural Tour July 1 by visiting Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, to discuss the issue of rural broadband.
“A healthy American economy depends on a prosperous rural America,” President Obama said. “Rural America is vast and diverse, and different communities face different challenges and opportunities. That’s why we’re going out to hear directly from the people of rural America about their needs and concerns and what my administration can do to support them.”
Administration officials participating in the Rural Tour will hear about the diverse set of challenges and opportunities facing the small towns and rural communities that are so integral to the fabric of American life. They will share some of the administration’s ideas about how to nurture strong, robust, and vibrant rural communities. And, when they have heard from the people, they will report back to the President about the state of rural America, and what the administration can do to strengthen it.
“These listening sessions will give the agriculture community a good opportunity to speak directly to the President and his administration and remind them of the importance of agricultural exports to the U.S. economy,” said Jon Caspers, USMEF chairman and a pork producer from Swaledale, Iowa. “This is an important message to send to a new administration from the Heartland, which depends on these exports to boost profitability and create jobs.”
According to the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports, since the 1985 creation of the federal government’s Market Access Program (MAP), which is a prime source of funds to support USMEF international programs, U.S. agricultural exports have increased by nearly 300 percent and today more than 1.2 million Americans have jobs that depend on these exports.
Rural Tour events scheduled include:
JULY 16 – Secretaries Ray LaHood and Tom Vilsack will travel to La Crosse, Wis., to discuss rural economic development.
JULY 18 – Secretaries Steven Chu and Tom Vilsack will travel to Ringgold, Va., to discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on weatherization and carbon sequestration.
JULY 20 – Secretaries Kathleen Sebelius, Eric Shinseki, Hilda Solis and Tom Vilsack will travel to St. John’s Parish, La., to discuss rural healthcare.
AUGUST 12 – Secretaries Steven Chu, Shaun Donovan, Arne Duncan, Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack will travel to Bethel, Ark., to discuss rural infrastructure, green jobs and a new energy economy, as well as climate change.
AUGUST 16 – Secretaries Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack will travel to Zanesville, Ohio, to discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on renewable energies.
AUGUST 17 – Secretaries Arne Duncan and Tom Vilsack will travel to Hamlet, N.C., to discuss rural education.
# # #
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.
Obama Administration Announces Rural Tour
President Obama has announced that he and members of his administration will participate in a Rural Tour this summer to hold a series of discussions on how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to help strengthen rural America.
Vice President Joe Biden and Secretaries Gary Locke and Tom Vilsack kicked off the Rural Tour July 1 by visiting Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, to discuss the issue of rural broadband.
“A healthy American economy depends on a prosperous rural America,” President Obama said. “Rural America is vast and diverse, and different communities face different challenges and opportunities. That’s why we’re going out to hear directly from the people of rural America about their needs and concerns and what my administration can do to support them.”
Administration officials participating in the Rural Tour will hear about the diverse set of challenges and opportunities facing the small towns and rural communities that are so integral to the fabric of American life. They will share some of the administration’s ideas about how to nurture strong, robust, and vibrant rural communities. And, when they have heard from the people, they will report back to the President about the state of rural America, and what the administration can do to strengthen it.
“These listening sessions will give the agriculture community a good opportunity to speak directly to the President and his administration and remind them of the importance of agricultural exports to the U.S. economy,” said Jon Caspers, USMEF chairman and a pork producer from Swaledale, Iowa. “This is an important message to send to a new administration from the Heartland, which depends on these exports to boost profitability and create jobs.”
According to the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports, since the 1985 creation of the federal government’s Market Access Program (MAP), which is a prime source of funds to support USMEF international programs, U.S. agricultural exports have increased by nearly 300 percent and today more than 1.2 million Americans have jobs that depend on these exports.
Rural Tour events scheduled include:
JULY 16 – Secretaries Ray LaHood and Tom Vilsack will travel to La Crosse, Wis., to discuss rural economic development.
JULY 18 – Secretaries Steven Chu and Tom Vilsack will travel to Ringgold, Va., to discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on weatherization and carbon sequestration.
JULY 20 – Secretaries Kathleen Sebelius, Eric Shinseki, Hilda Solis and Tom Vilsack will travel to St. John’s Parish, La., to discuss rural healthcare.
AUGUST 12 – Secretaries Steven Chu, Shaun Donovan, Arne Duncan, Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack will travel to Bethel, Ark., to discuss rural infrastructure, green jobs and a new energy economy, as well as climate change.
AUGUST 16 – Secretaries Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack will travel to Zanesville, Ohio, to discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on renewable energies.
AUGUST 17 – Secretaries Arne Duncan and Tom Vilsack will travel to Hamlet, N.C., to discuss rural education.
# # #
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.