(NAFB) – Iowa’s Senators, Republicans Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, are promoting a bill to streamline federal resources available to rural communities. The legislation would create an Office of Rural Prosperity in the White House to coordinate the federal government’s programs supporting rural communities. Currently, there are more than 400 federal programs dedicated to helping rural communities. 13 different federal agencies have jurisdiction over the various programs, which includes over 50 offices and sub-agencies.

The Rural Prosperity Act also requires the office to produce an annual comprehensive strategy for rural economic development, a Rural Prosperity Action Plan. Senator Grassley says, “I frequently hear from Iowans in rural communities who are having trouble navigating federal bureaucracy, making it more difficult to receive the assistance they need,” citing a need for the legislation. Ernst adds the legislation will “make sure we always have a voice and a seat at the decision-making table in our nation’s capital.”