President Joe Biden was in southern Minnesota Wednesday to highlight federal investments for rural America.
Biden visited a farm near Northfield to discuss funding from recent packages such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, with the latter focusing on climate projects and health-care assistance.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke at the event and says these efforts allow rural residents to try and keep their communities vibrant.
While the infrastructure law received support from lawmakers on both sides, Republicans strongly opposed the Inflation Reduction Act. Some of the proposed rollbacks would come under the Farm Bill reauthorization, with opponents of such moves arguing there would be a negative impact on rural communities.
Meanwhile, there's 65 billion dollars within the infrastructure law to boost access to high-speed internet, with the hopes of enhancing efforts to close broadband gaps in rural areas.
Josh Sumption is with an education service agency for the southwest and west-central parts of the state. He says they welcome any help in putting local students in a better position to learn in the digital age.
Sumption acknowledges recent federal investments might not close all broadband gaps. But he says he's hopeful that more projects will be shovel-ready very soon, citing additional funding from the state.
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