Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va. joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House in passing bipartisan funding bills that would protect funding for rural broadband projects.
The package includes funding Spanberger fought to include for the USDA ReConnect Loan and Grant program. Across the country, this program partners with rural communities to expand high-speed internet infrastructure.
In October, Spanberger called for U.S. House and U.S. Senate appropriators to include ReConnect funding in the final budget legislation after the U.S. Senate zeroed-out funding for the program in its fiscal year 2020 Agriculture Appropriations bill.
“Across Central Virginia’s rural communities, a lack of access to high-speed internet impedes the ability of our students, businesses, and farms to stay competitive in an increasingly digitally-based economy. Many counties in our district have applied for ReConnect grants to expand access to reliable high-speed broadband internet, and I’m pleased that after pushing for continued ReConnect funding, this vital program will continue into next year,” said Spanberger. “A budget should reflect our priorities—and this budget deal includes many wins I helped secure for Central Virginia—including additional support for Alzheimer’s disease research, the repeal of the Health Insurance Tax, and strong investments in career-focused apprenticeship programs.”
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