What Are They Reading in the States: Biden-Harris Administration Announces over $5 Billion as Part of Investing in America Rural Event Series

On Wednesday, President Biden kicked off his Investing in America Rural Event Series by announcing over $5 billion in income support for farmers to help adopt climate-smart practices, build broadband networks, and develop new revenue streams. From reducing the price of prescription drugs to improving access to clean drinking water, reliable electricity, better roads and bridges, and affordable high-speed internet, Bidenomics is delivering for all Americans – no matter their ZIP code.

The Fence Post: Biden announced $5B in rural spending
[Hagstrom Report, 11/1/23]

Neera Tanden, domestic policy adviser to Biden, said the administration's Investing in America program means "investing in all of America. Rural Americans should not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity."…Vilsack said Minnesota had been chosen to launch the tour because the state has been a heavy user of Biden administration projects and "understands and appreciates that the future is in biofuels," including higher blends. The owners of the farm the president and Vilsack will visit have taken "full advantage" of a range of USDA programs and are among those that "already recognize the new income opportunities" the administration is promoting, he said.

Albany Herald: Biden launches 'Investing in Rural America' push
[Ashley Murray, 11/1/23]

"This is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the importance of rural America and to reflect the Biden-Harris administration's deep commitment to investment into improving life and opportunity in rural places," Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, told reporters.

Minnesota Public Radio: Biden touts investment in rural areas in Minnesota, the home state of his primary challenger
[Minnesota Public Radio, 11/1/23]

The president announced more than $5 billion in spending, largely in rural areas. It will go toward better adapting agriculture to climate change, as well as expanding high-speed internet access and improving local infrastructure. The funding comes from infrastructure and inflation reduction laws which Biden helped champion through Congress. "Instead of exporting jobs overseas for cheaper labor, now we're creating jobs here and expanding American products and selling them overseas," Biden told a cheering crowd inside a barn at Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield, about 40 miles south of Minneapolis. "We're not only transforming rural communities; we're transforming our economy."

Successful Farming: Biden announces $5 billion in funding for land stewardship and rural development
[Chuck Abbott, 11/1/23]

President Biden opened his administration's "investing in rural America" blitz on a Minnesota farm on Wednesday with the announcement of $5 billion in funding for soil and water conservation, rural infrastructure, and economic development. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the $1.7 billion allotted for stewardship was the largest single-year injection of money ever into USDA conservation programs.

Sioux County Radio: Biden announces historic investments in rural America
[Sioux County Radio Staff, 11/1/23]

President Biden and members of his cabinet are announcing historic investments in rural America over the next two weeks. The President plans stops in several states beginning with Minnesota today where he's expected to highlight efforts to support rural Americans. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is accompanying Biden and says more than $5 billion will be awarded for conservation, renewable energy, and rural infrastructure projects. "That I think underscore the values and the vision of the Biden-Harris administration for rural America and rural Americans." He says the $1.7 billion for conservation is the single largest investment in the history of those programs.

Cedar Rapids Gazette: In visit to Midwest, Biden touts boost for Iowa biofuels, rural utilities
[Tom Barton, 11/2/23]

The administration officials will be pointing out that federal spending has generated new revenue streams for farmers, boosted rural economic development and conservation practices, lowered energy costs and created new job opportunities for rural families. The president said Wednesday that factories have been shut down in rural America, towns have been hollowed out and jobs were moved overseas. "Over the past few decades, these communities lost more than jobs," Biden said. "They lost their sense of dignity, opportunity, pride. My plan is about investing in rural America. It's about something else as well. It's about restoring pride and the road to rural communities that have been left behind for far too long."

Brownfield: Biden Announces Historic Investments in Rural America
[Mark Dorenkamp, 11/1/23]

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is accompanying Biden and says more than $5 billion will be awarded for conservation, renewable energy, and rural infrastructure projects."That I think underscore the values and the vision of the Biden-Harris administration for rural America and rural Americans." He says the $1.7 billion for conservation is the single largest investment in the history of those programs. "A significant portion of it is $1 billion in regional conservation partnership program opportunities in 35 states involving large-scale, landscape-scale-sized conservation opportunities."

Spectrum: Biden takes his economic pitch to rural America, announcing $5B investment on latest messaging tour
[Maddie Gannon, 11/1/23]

The president on Wednesday also announced $1.1 billion in loan and grant awards to rehabilitate infrastructure in rural areas; $2 billion in funding for communities in the Rural Partners Network to spur job creation and build infrastructure; and $145 million through the Rural Energy for America Program to help producers and small business owners make energy efficiency improvements, such as installing "clean energy technologies like solar panels." "My plan is about investing in rural America, it's about something else as well: It's about restoring pride into rural communities that have been left behind for far too long," Biden said. "They've suffered decades of disinvestment, and that's what the President will be talking about today – reversing that disinvestment with deep reinvestment in rural America," Bernstein said of rural communities which have, for years, faced higher poverty rates than metro areas.

Iowa News Now: Biden and Vilsack spotlight rural America advancements: Unveiling a two-week campaign on Investing in America agenda
[Nick Weig, 11/2/23]

During the series, President Biden and leaders across the administration will visit rural communities that are benefitting from the Investing in America agenda. This includes communities leveraging Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to support critical infrastructure such as high-speed internet, safe roads and bridges, modern wastewater systems, clean drinking water, and reliable and affordable electricity.

Gray: President Biden travels to Minnesota
[Jon Decker and Priscilla Huff, 10/31/23]

"The bipartisan infrastructure law is really historic in nature in meeting the needs of critical infrastructure in our rural communities, everything from investing in high speed, expanding high speed, Internet access to every home, farm and business in rural America to updating our rural roads and bridges. The President will also tout other benefits to rural communities – including expanding access to clean energy and various efforts to expand access to health care services in rural America. Senior Advisor McEntee says the administration wants to highlight how opportunity is everywhere. "The real goal here really is to ensure that, that those folks don't have to, you know leave their hometown, don't have to leave their family to find you know their career, or find opportunity that they can find those opportunities right there at home."

Southern Farm Network: Biden, Cabinet Heading to Rural America
[Mike Davis, 11/1/23]

Over the course of two weeks, President Joe Biden, cabinet members, and senior administration officials are scheduled to barnstorm across the country promoting investments in climate-smart agriculture, bringing new revenue to farms, increased economic development in rural towns, and more opportunity throughout the country, according to the White House. This includes rural communities leveraging Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to support critical infrastructure such as high-speed internet, safe roads and bridges, modern wastewater systems, clean drinking water, and reliable and affordable electricity.

Ag Information Network: Administration's "Investing in Rural America Event Series" Kicks Off
[Haylie Shipp, 11/1/23]

"President Biden, Cabinet members, and Senior Administration officials will barnstorm across the country to highlight how the President's Investing in America agenda is ensuring that rural Americans do not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity." McIntee told me the Administration's investments, including climate smart agriculture, are bringing new revenue to farms, increased economic development in rural towns and communities and more opportunity throughout the country. Always up for a definition, I asked for a bit more on what "climate smart ag" really meant…"This funding will allow for additional farmers and ranchers to apply practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage, prescribed grazing, tree planting, and more to million acres of land."

Duluth News Tribune: Biden touts rural initiatives in visit to Minnesota family farm
[Staff, 11/2/23]
When pork processing supply chains were disrupted by COVID-19 in 2020, Brad Kluver had to turn to social media to sell the hogs he raised on his farm outside Northfield. President Joe Biden visited the three-generation Kluver farm on Wednesday, Nov. 1, to kick off a dozen-stop Investing in Rural America tour. The "barnstorming" tour will include stops in 15 states over the next two weeks. Biden said policies and proposals from his administration would help families keep their farms in the family and help families make a living off their farms.

Wyoming Public Radio: Biden officials head West to tout spending in rural America
[Will Walkey, 11/1/23]
The Biden administration is kicking off a barrage of visits to promote federal spending packages like the Inflation Reduction Act – and the rural Mountain West is a big part of the itinerary.The visits are highlighting projects for public works, clean energy, high-speed internet and more, particularly in smaller communities. In a recent call with reporters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the investments "historic" opportunities. "I think it's reflective of President Biden's belief that zip code ought not to determine your economic future," he said.

Successful Farming: In Minnesota, Biden says rural revival is his plan
[Chuck Abbott, 11/2/23]
President Biden said he is responding to decades of decline in farm numbers and "hollowed out" rural communities with projects to diversify farm income and to encourage local food production and marketing. "It's about making things in rural America again," said Biden on a farm in southern Minnesota on Wednesday.

AgWired: Biden Announces Rural Investments at Minnesota Farm
[Cindy Zimmerman, 11/2/23]
During the visit to Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield, President Biden announced over $5 billion in his Investing in America agenda, including the Inflation Reduction Act, to "advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability." "My plan is about investing in rural America," said Biden. "It's about something else as well. It's about restoring pride to rural communities that have been left behind for far too long."

Fresh Fruit Portal: Biden administration announces over $5B to advance rural development
[Staff, 11/2/23]
During an Investing in Rural America event series yesterday in Northfield, MN, President Biden announced $5 billion expenditure from his Investing in America agenda. The new investments are meant to advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability. The announcement, which took place at Dutch Creek Farms, is part of Biden's Investing in Rural America Event Series to highlight how his administration's spending is bringing new revenue to farms, increased economic development in rural towns and communities, and more opportunity throughout the country.

AgriPulse: Biden decries consolidation, touts rural investments in Minnesota visit
[Noah Wicks, 11/1/23]
President Joe Biden, standing in a Minnesota farmer's shed, took shots at agriculture industry consolidation and touted his administration's delivery of $5 billion in conservation and infrastructure spending as he kicked off of a two-week White House "barnstorm" of rural America.

Minnesota Reformer: Biden kicks off rural investment tour in Northfield with Israel remarks
[Madison McVan and Michelle Griffith, 11/1/23]
Biden, standing in front of a crowd of about 200 people bundled up in coats and hats, then turned his attention to the topic that brought him to a family farm about 40 miles south of the Twin Cities: $5 billion in federal investments in rural America that his administration delivered."When rural America does well, when Indian Country does well, we all do well," Biden said.

AgWeek/The Forum of Fargo-Morehead: Biden uses Minnesota farm to highlight investments in conservation, rural America
[Staff, 11/3/23]

At a family farm in southern Minnesota, President Joe Biden announced another $5 billion to help the rural economy and protect farms like that of Brad Kluver. "For decades, families like Brad's sat around the kitchen table with their kids and grandkids worried and wondering, 'How, how can we keep the farm in the family?'" Biden said on Wednesday, Nov. 1. "Because of these investments we're making, family farms like this one will stay in the family and the children and grandchildren like Brad won't have to leave home to make a living."

Star Tribune: President Joe Biden visits Minnesota farm as he starts 'barnstorming' tour of rural America
[Christopher Vondracek, 11/1/23]

"When rural America does well, when Indian country does well, we all do well," Biden said, speaking in a chilly machine shed in front of a large American flag at Dutch Creek Farms in rural Dakota County.

KIMT (CBS Rochester, MN): President Biden visits Northfield, discusses $5 billion in rural area investments
[Max Haslow, 11/1/23]
According to the president, these projects will also bring back pride to rural areas."Over the past few decades, these communities lost more than jobs," he said. "They lost their sense of dignity, opportunity, pride. My plan is about investing in rural America. It's about something else as well. It's about restoring pride to rural communities that have been left behind for far too long." Many of the farmers in the crowd resonated with his message.

KVRR (FOX Fargo, ND): President Biden Brings His Rural America Investment Message to Southern Minnesota
[Staff, 11/1/23]

The funding comes from infrastructure and inflation reduction laws which Biden helped champion through Congress. He told the crowd that instead of exporting jobs overseas for cheaper labor, now we're creating jobs here and expanding American products to sell overseas.The crowd applauded when Biden said, "When the middle class does well, the poor have a way up and the wealthy still do very well. It's everybody does better. When rural America does well, when Indian country does well, we all do well."

WCCO (CBS Minneapolis, MN): President Joe Biden touts economic agenda, rural investments during farm stop in Minnesota
[Staff, 11/3/23]

President Joe Biden visited Minnesota on Wednesday to tout his economic agenda and make the case that those policies are helping rural communities, the first stop on a two-week swing across the country highlighting investments in agriculture and economic development. "Over the past few decades, these communities lost more than jobs. They lost their sense of dignity, opportunity, pride," Biden said. "My plan is about investing in rural America, but it's about something else as well: it's about restoring pride in rural communities that have been left behind for far too long."

KSTP (ABC Minneapolis, MN): Biden formally announce $5 billion in funds for rural America during Northfield visit
[KSTP Staff, 11/1/23]

President Joe Biden stopped in Minnesota Wednesday afternoon, the first stop of a nationwide tour lasting two weeks. He and other local and federal officials, including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, visited Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield to highlight government spending in rural America and formally announce over $5 billion in new investments into rural America in hopes of emphasizing to families that they don't have to leave their hometowns to search for better opportunities.

KMSP (FOX Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN): President Biden launches rural investment plan in Minnesota
[Corin Hoggard, 11/1/23]

So the president highlighted his administration's plan to change [trickle-down economics], embracing the term "Bidenomics." He wants to invest more than $5 billion to help agriculture businesses adapt to climate change, as well as expand high-speed internet access and improve infrastructure."It's about investing in all of America including rural America," he said. "It's about making things in rural America again and that's exactly what we're doing so rural America can begin to thrive again."