Dear Friend,

As we continue to fight this pandemic, it is critical we provide disaster relief support to rural hospitals that serve as a lifeline to rural communities across West Texas and our nation.

I was proud to have 84 Members of Congress sign onto my letter to this Administration advocating rural hospitals be included in the Paycheck Protection Program. Today, I echoed the importance of providing timely assistance to these frontline facilities in an op-ed in the Washington Examiner. To read the full piece, click here:

“Hiding in the shadows cast by big city outbreaks, the novel coronavirus has now quickly spread to more than 1,000 rural communities,” the editorial reads. “This pandemic’s sweep of our nation’s prairies and plains comes as hundreds of rural hospitals are on the verge of closure, potentially leaving tens of thousands of people without access to local emergency health services during the contagion’s peak and permanently devastating rural economies.”

“Our nation’s leaders cannot leave rural America without resources to combat this pandemic. It is essential that these facilities, critical in the fight against COVID-19, can access the Paycheck Protection Program. This temporary and targeted assistance will be a lifeline to healthcare professionals and hospitals, which, in many cases, are the largest employers in the community. As we move forward, relief and recovery packages must provide equitable support for rural communities and their providers to do what they do best — take care of rural Americans.”

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