Last week Mary Peltola won the special election to fill Alaska’s sole US House seat, previously held for 49 years by the late Congressman Don Young. Peltola, who is Yup’ik, will be the first Alaska Native in Congress and the first woman to hold the seat — uniting rural and urban voters with her “Pro-Jobs, Pro-Fish, Pro-Family and Pro-Choice” platform.

The 2021 Rural Policy Action Report provides a roadmap to ensure all working families, no matter where they live or the color of their skin, have the opportunity and tools to build a good life and strengthen their communities. Advocates created the report by working directly with rural communities, and they have shared the report widely with policy makers, elected officials, and key decision makers in the Biden Administration. Our leaders have responded, through Executive and Congressional action, to enact key recommendations from the report and make the most significant investments in rural America in our lifetimes.

Vot-ER envisions hospitals and community health clinics as central touchpoints in communities, where neighbors consider their civic health as well as their physical and mental health.

This summer we’re piloting two new programs to increase our impact. First, we’re partnering with Bluebonnet Data to connect highly trained data experts as volunteer fellows to support our grantees’ strategic projects. Second, we’re helping several RDI grantees add staff capacity with a summer youth fellow. We’re working with Progressive Pipeline, which is providing recruitment, training, mentorship, and leadership development for six summer fellows.

In a recent editorial in The Hill, Rural Climate Partnership Director Josh Ewing argues the Inflation Reduction Act has the potential to be a real economic winner for rural America.