Rural America is just a remarkable place. And I think there is no limit, almost no limit, to what rural America can accomplish if they have access to basic tools and support.

I read something this past weekend which I hadn't been aware of, and that was read through President Kennedy, John Kennedy's Office of Outdoor Recreation that he was fully intending and work toward setting up and create frameworks for.

Programs offered by the USDA's Rural Development office are crucial in helping rural areas develop and attract new economic opportunities.

rural America continues to face challenges with access to capital and reliable energy, workforce shortages, aging infrastructure, and a lack of available health care services.

I would like to thank our distinguished witnesses, who represent a broad range of rural development stakeholders.

This is why a priority of mine will continue to be increasing access to health resources, including mental health, for our rural areas.

I think these are values that are absolutely foundational to our rural community, certainly in Colorado, and across the country.

I couldn't agree more with that effort and give Mr. Waltz a lot of credit for helping lead that and open the aperture, if you will, for women and peace and security.

It shouldn't matter what you look like, that it shouldn't matter if you are bald or 5,8" or 5,9" or black or white.

I will give a lot of credit to my friend, Mr. Waltz, who actually is a founding co-chair of the Women, Peace, and Security Caucus in Congress.

We need to have an honest conversation here about the value of diversity, about the barriers that exist for vast swaths of our country.

It is about recognizing our history, recognizing that all things have not been equal.

It shouldn't matter what you look like... But in the United States of America, too often it does.

When we do tap into our full strength and potential as a nation we are at our best.

I wish they were of the past, but they are not.

I look forward to our conversation today and hear from our expert witnesses on their perspectives on current USDA Rural Development programs and ways we can improve them through the 2023 Farm Bill.

I think the allegations are very serious. I think there were national security implications from having documents in an unsecure area.

I will just finish with, within the Forest Service and the BLM and other Federal lands combined with State lands, we have a tremendous lack of parking access and getting into the back way to some of these outdoor recreational opportunities.