The House of Representatives took all of October off. In fact, the GOP-led chamber has only worked 14 days since July 25. As Congress sat idle,

Photo by Jacinto Diego

The House of Representatives took all of October off. In fact, the GOP-led chamber has only worked 14 days since July 25. As Congress sat idle, hardworking Americans faced rising health care costs, farmers battled dangerous market instability, and millions may lose necessary food assistance.

It’s time for Congress to show up for the people it serves — to lower costs, raise wages, and protect the freedom to make choices about our own lives. As the Communications and Policy Director for the Rural Democracy Initiative, I worked with 40 local, state, and national organizations to create the Rural Policy Action Report, which offers a roadmap of popular policies lawmakers could implement today.

Here are five priorities to help families, small businesses, and rural communities thrive.

1. Fix health care.

To start, lawmakers should reverse the Medicaid cuts and renew the Affordable Care Act tax credits that they allowed to expire to pass tax breaks for billionaires.

More than undoing the damage Congress did this year, we need them to go further: lower prescription prices, support rural hospitals, and ensure reliable care close to home. Access to life-saving services shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code or your income.

2. Stand with farmers, not just corporations.

For farmers, rising health care costs are just part of the growing challenges.

“Our members are feeling the pain of a chaotic trade policy, massive cuts to USDA programs that serve all farmers and rural communities, and the ever-growing threat from monopolies that manipulate the agriculture marketplace,” said Aaron Lehman of the Iowa Farmers Union, a contributor to the report.

With the Farm Bill years past due, it seems Congress only makes time to fund programs for the biggest agribusinesses. But Congress could help develop local markets by investing in local food systems, reinstating the Local Food Purchase Assistance program that helped schools buy fresh food from local farms, and helping farmers protect soil and water. They should retool crop insurance and credit programs so they work for smaller, more diverse farms.

Farmers watched as new tariffs hurt the U.S. soybean market, and boosted sales for Argentina. To top it off, the Trump administration promised Argentina an additional $20 billion bailout gift. Congress must rein in our trade policy and prioritize independent producers, small-town businesses, and workers.

3. Strengthen public schools.

Rural schools are the heart of their communities, preparing students with the skills to compete. But the federal government diverted billions from public schools to private schools with a voucher tax credit that could cost taxpayers up to $51 billion a year — more than the federal government spends on all public K–12 education.

Lawmakers should stop the voucher programs and instead ensure students have properly funded schools with speech and reading services and support for kids with disabilities.

4. Empower workers

Rural workers often earn less, have fewer benefits, and face higher injury rates. When workers are respected and fairly paid, they spend locally and keep main streets alive. But the Trump administration has tried to eliminate dozens of worker safety rules, rescinded an important overtime rule, and ordered immigration raids at work sites across the country.

Congress should protect the right to organize, ensure safe work sites, and guarantee paid family and medical leave.

5. Make essentials affordable

Everyone should be able to afford groceries, medicine, and energy bills — but prices keep climbing. Congress must work to lower prices and enable small businesses to be competitive so people have real choices.

Congress should also restore food assistance, cut costs for childcare, housing, and energy, and expand broadband access.

Congress needs to work for us, not for the special interests of big corporations and the ultra wealthy.

Rural communities have been overlooked — or actively harmed — by federal policy. The Rural Policy Action Report shows a better path: a practical plan with example legislation to improve healthcare, support farmers, strengthen public schools, stand with workers, and lower costs.

Read more at RuralPolicyAction.Us.

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