The Official Harris/Walz Plan for Rural America

I spoke with the Tom Vilsack on Sunday about the Harris/Walz plan for rural America. Yes, they have a plan for rural America…that is the first step to turning this red/rural alliance around.

This interview landed in my lap and I was more than happy to do it. I am not accustomed to meeting with folks who have worked so high up in the administration, and since I’ve been told that there are some administrations who actually honor the Hatch Act, I won’t reference Mr. Vilsack’s current position, but it is safe to say that he knows a thing or two about agriculture and rural spaces :)

Prior to his current official role, Tom Vilsack served as Secretary of Agriculture from 2009 to 2017 under President Obama. Vilsack was the longest-serving member of President Obama’s original Cabinet.

He served as Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007 and sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, though he ended his bid in February 2007. Mr. Vilsack began his political career serving as Mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa from 1987-1992. He then represented the 49th district in the Iowa Senate from 1993-1999 before becoming Governor of Iowa.

Tom Vilsack and his wife Christie have two sons, Jess and Doug.

Here is the link to the entire rural plan.

Here is the gist of the Harris/ Walz Rural Initiative:

• Increase access to affordable and high-quality health care in rural communities—by adding 10,000 health care professionals, expanding telemedicine, cutting the number of ambulance deserts in half.

• Support the sandwich generation to care for elders at home, lowering the cost of childcare and increasing the number of providers, and expanding the Child Tax Credit to provide tax cuts up to $6,000 for families with newborns.

• Lower the costs of buying a home, starting and expanding a business, and raising a family—by sparking the construction of 3 million new housing units, providing up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, increasing the small business tax deduction for startup expenses 10-fold to $50,000.

• Invest in the future of American agriculture by boosting access to credit, land, and markets, building new markets and streams of income for small- and mid-sized farmers and producers, and supporting the rise of the next generation of American farmers and ranchers.

I hope you enjoy the interview. Let’s take rural America back.

~Jess