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— Since 1980, rural residents have been faced with higher 

 unemployment rates than their urban counterparts. And, 



— During the 1980's, more than half of all non-metropolitan 

 counties lost population. 



Mr. Chairman, in developing an economic growth strategy for 

 the future, rural America must be a full partner in rebuilding 

 our country's greatness. 



We must begin by examining current policies that 



intentionally or unintentionally — disadvantage rural areas. 

 Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about: 



— We must adapt federal programs that are currently designed for 

 large population centers — ending the "one size fits all" 

 approach that is generally inappropriate for rural areas. 



— We need to ensure that the Rural Development Administration we 

 established in the 1990 Farm Bill receives the support it needs 

 to be effective. There is latitude for the Administration to 

 consolidate rural development efforts under the RDA that will 

 help streamline operations. 



Currently, federal programs are uncoordinated and too complex. 

 With 90% of the towns outside of metropolitan areas having 



