Political Quotes

“Woman, there is no question that the rural areas in this country frequently get shortchanged. I know because I represent a rural area. That is why I was surprised because we just heard a lot of lip service to doing great things for the rural areas, but, in fact, rural health is level funded in this bill before us. The Department spending is $10 billion higher and nothing, no increase could go to the rural areas. And now, all of a sudden, we are all fans of rural areas. On the other side of the aisle I guess we are all fans of rural areas. We do need this extra $1 million. Here is the problem. It didn't identify another program to take the money from. It went to the believably bottomless well of department management, the Office of the Secretary, which now is up to $21 million in being raided just since the last vote series. I don't know. I don't think you need an accounting degree to figure out that that doesn't work. We are asking the Department to do more with much less money. And, again, we do these rural health programs. No question. But I wish that rural health programs had gotten a proportionate increase in the base bill that we are talking about, but they didn't. Now, I will tell the gentlewoman about one problem that is very rampant in my rural areas and across the country. If most people were asked: Where is the opioid crisis worse, urban or rural areas? We know what they will respond, but the data shows that it is rural areas. They have a worse problem.…”