Infrastructure

Since our founding, the Grange has acknowledged how important infrastructure it to achieve sustained economic development and improve the wellbeing of our communities. Rural America is a place of tremendous productivity, but the diffusion of high quality agricultural goods around the country and world requires an extensive system of transportation infrastructure. Therefore, we support programs that fund the construction and modernization of roads, rail lines, bridges, waterways, dams and key pieces of infrastructure that will allow rural America to thrive. We also fight upgrade aging power lines and outdated water systems that pose a risk to public health.

Huge swaths of rural America, close to 18 million Americans, still lack access to reliable, high-speed internet. This puts students wishing to attain knowledge, small business owners striving to innovate, and farmers trying to connect to the global marketplace at a huge disadvantage. In order to combat this pervasive problem, we are dedicated to expanding affordable, high speed broadband in rural communities; the cornerstone of 21^st century infrastructure. In addition to funding, the government can promote the expansion of rural broadband by eliminating unnecessary and burdensome regulations that stifle projects attempting to bring broadband to underserved areas.

Rural America continues to rely on a sustainable and reliable postal service in order to conduct critical financial transactions and communication. In an effort to cope with the constant threat of insolvency, the USPS has made reductions to vital services in rural parts of the country. The Grange sees the value of the USPS in our communities and is dedicated to finding solutions that will allow the USPS to prosper while keeping services intact. Instead of cutting services, we believe Congress must give the U.S. Postal service the autonomy and flexibility it needs to innovate, cut inefficiency and adapt the demands of the 21^st century.