Why One Country Project is Moving to Substack

Who we Are

One Country Project’s (OCP) mission is to ensure rural America’s priorities and values are heard, understood, well-represented and reflected in policy in Washington. OCP provides research to the issues impacting rural voters and how Democrats can best connect with them on the key issues of the economy, inflation, abortion, immigration, crime, and others in lead up to the next election cycle.

About 60 million people, or one in five Americans, live in rural America. The Census Bureau defines rural as “any population, housing, or territory not in an urban area.” This definition fails to discern the complexities of rural Americans and communities across the country or consider the cultural touchstones that signify “rural” to many Americans who describe themselves as rural residents when they live in suburban or exurban areas.

Inconsistent investments in rural America have led to inadequate resources, essential infrastructure, and opportunities for young people. Even after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), American Rescue Plan (ARPA), and the CHIPs and Science Act made unprecedented investments in rural communities, the change in administrations threatens to undo this progress.

OCP is dedicated to restoring growth and prosperity in rural America by amplifying rural voices in Washington policy discussions. To make rural America a politically competitive space again, we must reopen the dialogue with rural communities, rebuild trust and respect, and continue to advance an opportunity agenda for rural Americans.

And Why we’re Moving to Substack

Throughout our 6-year history, OCP has strived to communicate the needs of rural America and inform rural residents about the issues that most impact their communities. Despite producing a podcast, regular columns, social posts, and events, we often still don’t break through the noise.

Moving to Substack will elevate the work we already do for rural America and provide a platform to support even more research, outreach, and engagement in the future. As we buildout our presence in Substack our goal is to elevate the view from rural America every day.

Some of the features you can expect to see from us include:

• Monday – The Rural Lookahead – A column with news and analysis by a One Country Board Member or guest author.

• Tuesday – Tuesday Talkers Newsletter.

• Wednesday – The Rural Response – A midweek look at the news and policy affecting rural America. Plus, a new episode of The Hot Dish podcast debuts every other Wednesday.

• Thursday – Thursday Talkers Newsletter.

• Friday – The Rural Lookback. Reviewing the major takeaways from the week and potential upcoming events that will impact rural communities.

• Saturday & Sunday – The One Country Explainer – Information packed short reads on key issues facing rural America.

• Plus, we’ll bring you regular updates and responses in the Notes section as events warrant.

Now, on to some news impacting rural America

Economic Bumps in the Road

President Trump’s ever shifting policies on tariffs and trade, combined with his illegal seizure of foreign aid and stoppage of government funding for domestic farm and nutrition programs, are combining to hammer the rural economy. With consumer confidence slumping to a 9-month low on the heels of a much weaker than expected jobs report, the economy of a second Trump Administration is off to an anemic start.

The release of the next CPI inflation report on Wednesday will shed further light on what the chaotic first few weeks of Trump 2.0 are bringing. We face the real possibility of rising inflation, declining job growth, and massive deficits fueled by more tax cuts for the rich.

The Missing Farm Bill

The House Committee on Agriculture will begin hearings on the next Farm Bill with a hearing “Examining the Economic Crisis in Rural America”. This is accompanied by Senate Agriculture Committee hearings last week and this week. The current Farm Bill expired in September 2023 and has twice been extended through continuing resolutions that continue funding levels but don’t adjust for inflation or new program requirements.

The departure of longtime Senate Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan has drained significant institutional knowledge from the committee. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is the new ranking member on the committee and will have to work closely with new Committee Chair Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi to deliver a Farm Bill. Traditionally the Farm Bill has been a bipartisan piece of legislation and the main framework for the final bill emerges from the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Confirmation Watch

Some of Trump’s most controversial nominees are up for confirmation votes in the Senate this week. The list includes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Kash Patel for FBI Director, and Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture. Indications these nominees will all be confirmed, likely on strict party-line votes.

With the Trump Administration threatening to ignore a court ruling restricting Elon’s Musk’s access to private information in Treasury records and the unlawful freezing of federal funding for numerous domestic programs and USAID, it remains to be seen if Senate Democrats will continue to slow the Senate. Democrats can burn the full 30-hour clock on the vote for each nominee and forgo unanimous consent to require full votes of the chamber to move ahead on procedural steps. These tactics have been used frequently by Republicans over the last 15-years whenever they’ve been in the minority.

We’ll be back tomorrow with Tuesday Talkers.