On the recordSeptember 7, 2016
During the past month, I have been to every corner of my congressional district as part of a 21st Century Heartland Tour. I have spoken with the hardworking men and women who truly make the Heartland the greatest place in America to live, work, and raise a family. But our region faces serious challenges, and these challenges need to be addressed by Congress. That is why I held a roundtable in Monmouth, Illinois, to discuss rural broadband. In rural America, just over half of our families have access to high-speed Internet, as opposed to 90 percent in the more urban areas. That is why I was in Stronghurst, Illinois, to talk about rural health care. Although one in four Americans live in rural America, we only have a tenth of the Nation's practicing physicians. These are just a couple of the issues facing our families in rural America. They can't wait for solutions. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together to support a thriving, modern 21st century heartland. ____________________
