John Thune: “as someone who grew up in rural South Dakota, in the town of Murdo, which has a population of roughly 500-- and that…”

“as someone who grew up in rural South Dakota, in the town of Murdo, which has a population of roughly 500-- and that would be rounding up--I know firsthand the joys of living in a rural community. I also know some of the challenges. Everything from package delivery to internet reliability can be more difficult when you live far outside a major city, and access to healthcare can sometimes be a real challenge. More than 100 rural hospitals have closed over the past two decades, and doctors can be few and far between in rural areas. But thanks to the working families tax cut legislation, however, help is on the way. Republicans' legislation created a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program to address the rural healthcare crisis. Instead of a top-down, Washington-dictated approach, we are giving States the resources and the freedom to find solutions for the particular challenges in their State and to find sustainable ways of ensuring rural healthcare access in their communities going forward. The response has been robust. Every State in the Union--red and blue, alike--has applied for and been approved for funding from this program. States have big plans.…”