Steven Gunderson: “it was our intent on behalf of the Rural Health Care Caucus, and I apologize for the confusion on timing here to offer…”

“it was our intent on behalf of the Rural Health Care Caucus, and I apologize for the confusion on timing here to offer an amendment which would do two things. The amendment would increase spending for rural outreach grants and for rural transition grants by $10 million each. It was our intent personally, not by everybody, but at least by this Member, that we would take that money out of the $2.4 billion available for the social services block grant. Why do I say that? I say that because if my colleagues will look at the committee report, the committee report intended that these programs would be funded out of that social services block grant. Now, the reality is, in all due respect, that our rural counties do not get that much money under the social services block grant, that that money is truly available in this area. Second, I think it absolutely essential that we understand the importance of these two particular programs, that perhaps all of the rural programs, these are the two programs most essential in guaranteeing access to health care in rural areas. The transition grants are the basis by which we make changes in rural hospitals in order to keep those health care access facilities alive, and they have been a very key program.”