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Growing up in the middle of the country, I’ve seen up close that America is only as healthy as rural America. Rural communities help sustain our country and propel our economy. Yet rural Americans are getting sicker and dying younger than people living in cities.

In 1982, the year I was born, Americans in rural communities could expect to live as long as Americans who lived in cities. Since then, too many rural areas have become economically marginalized and politically neglected. Today, the gap between urban and rural life expectancy is wider than in at least half a century. This reality is especially harrowing in states like Iowa, where one in every three people lives in a rural community.

As the mayor of a diverse city in the industrial Midwest situated among the rural counties of Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, I’ve seen firsthand the effects of this neglect. That’s why I’m putting forward a plan specifically to invest in overlooked communities.