Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

A group of lawmakers wants the Trump administration to create a Rural COVID-19 Task Force. Led by Representative Antonio Delgado, a New York Democrat, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, the group penned a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Klobuchar says the administration needs to take immediate action “to make sure we’re getting our rural communities the resources they need to prepare and address the growing challenges” presented by COVID-19. The lawmakers say the gradual spread of COVID-19 to rural areas has led many to misjudge both its severity and rural America’s capacity to deal with it. Rural areas are “less equipped to handle the consequences” of the virus and need additional help. The lawmakers say the task force would help identify rural challenges, develop strategies and policy recommendations, assemble a guide of available Federal programs and resources, consult with the Department and Congressional Committees, and provide oversight on the distribution of funding.