COMMENTARY: Washington to the rescue for rural Nevada

The COVID-19 pandemic looks different in each of Nevada’s rural communities. As we move closer to crushing the virus, equitable — and flexible — investments in rural communities are essential to help all Nevadans build back better for the long run.

We have seen the varied impact of the pandemic firsthand. For instance, while urban communities have multiple layers of support in times of crisis, the residents of Pahrump often have just one. At the beginning of the pandemic, when older volunteers couldn’t make their shifts at the food pantries, there were few young volunteers to take their place, and the pantries struggled to meet the increased demand.

In Pahrump, health care heroes at Desert View Hospital provided excellent front-line care to those in the early stages of COVID, with transportation to Las Vegas for advanced treatment. But in Tonopah, where the nearest hospital is 100 miles away, the prospect of contracting the virus was doubly terrifying.

To bring an end to the pandemic, Nevada’s rural families needed flexible relief that recognized the unique needs of each community. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, that relief has arrived.

Soon after President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law, $1,400 survival checks began making their way to rural families. Shortly after that, subsidy and aid programs opened to help families with health care, housing and nutrition needs. For our small businesses, expanded Paycheck Protection Program loans, Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants and Economic Injury Disaster Loans kept the doors open and employees on payroll.

Starting July 15, the first advance child tax credit payments reached families, with monthly payments up to $300 per eligible child that will be provided through December 2021.

Critically, the recovery flexibility provided through the American Rescue Plan’s direct payments and loans shows the trust that President Biden and congressional Democrats placed in rural communities.

For the six rural counties in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District (Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye and White Pine), the American Rescue Plan provides more than $24 million in direct funding for local governments and more than $25 million for schools. Counties have significant discretion in the use of their funds, which can be used to respond to the pandemic and its economic effects, support essential workers, restore pandemic cuts to public services or invest in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.

In the years to come, funding from the American Rescue Plan will rebuild rural economies, invest in rural infrastructure and address the learning gaps that widened during the pandemic. As Congress moves forward with new proposals to invest in infrastructure and working families, our rural communities will benefit from continued flexibility. Rural Nevadans know their needs — and policymakers should continue listening.

Rep. Steven Horsford, a Democrat, represents Nevada’s 4th Congressional District. Stacy Smith is the executive director of the NyE Communities Coalition.