Message to the Congress Transmitting First Annual Report on the Availability of Government Services to Rural Areas.

To the Congress of the United States:

I am transmitting today the first annual report on government services to rural America, as required by the Agricultural Act of 1970.

Much of the information is about fiscal year 1970, since we do not have all the information in yet on the 1971 fiscal year. However, even the changes over our first full fiscal year in office showed important gains in the Federal Government's concern for the well-being of rural areas.

As examples, in fiscal 1970, we increased Federal support for waste treatment grants in rural areas by 174% over the previous year, and increased manpower development grants in such areas more than 50%.

We have long recognized that much of the housing in rural America is substandard-in fact about half of all substandard housing is in rural America. We have made real gains in this area. While our 1970 rural housing loan efforts increased 56% over 1969, in 1971 we will have increased these loans another 88%, to an annual amount of over one and a quarter billion dollars.

The report documents other major strides toward improving services to those millions of our people who live outside metropolitan areas.

It is my hope that our next report will show far greater progress. This is because I earnestly hope it will follow passage of some of the initiatives I urged in my State of the Union Message. These new initiatives include:

--Revenue sharing which, in the upcoming budget, can provide $16.1 billion in funds to flow from Washington in such a way that much real decision-making would be moved back to the States, cities and rural communities of America.

I have proposed not only $5 billion in unrestricted, general revenue sharing, but over $11 billion in various "special revenue sharing" grants. Among these is special revenue sharing for "rural community development." Originally budgeted at a level of $1 billion, I can announce today that we have found it possible to make available $100 million more for this important purpose. Furthermore, nearly all the other special revenue sharing funds, for manpower development, for education, for transportation, for law enforcement, and even in some cases for urban community development, will have significant benefits for rural America.

--A major reorganization of the civilian agencies of the Federal Government. The purpose is to make Federal program operations work better for the individual citizen and his community. The complaints most frequently heard about Government are that it is too costly; that it fails to match performance to promise; that it is too far from people; that there is nothing the individual person can do about it. We intend to reduce the cost of Government in Washington; to organize it for performance; to return government to the people; to give the people the opportunity to do something about it, by bringing government back to where the people are.

Under our reorganization, economic and community development would be accorded high priority--the objective being to maintain and develop viable communities of all sizes.

--My proposed welfare reform. In this needed change of our welfare system, many Americans in rural areas would benefit immediately, while strong incentives would be created to move those able to work into productive employment.

Not only would this reform assist many families operating on small farms and working in the rural communities of this country, but we know it would also help revitalize the economy of rural areas.

--My proposed comprehensive health strategy. My recent special message on health sets forth proposals to provide minimum national health insurance standards for all Americans, regardless of where they live, or what their income. At the same time, my proposals recognize that even with these improvements in the power to purchase medical care for all, they would be frustrated without assuring that care can be supplied where it is needed.

There is a shortage of doctors and medical personnel in this Nation; but there is also a problem of distribution of medical services. Those in remote rural areas often feel this lack more acutely than those in inner cities. We mean to provide Federal assistance to guarantee that the sick and injured in the rural sectors of America have the opportunity for the same high quality care that is available to Americans in other places. To help bring such services to rural areas, we propose to establish new area health education centers in medically underserved areas, and expand programs to encourage doctors, nurses, and physicians' assistants to serve in scarcity areas.

It is gratifying to be able to report to you that this administration is demonstrating its commitment to the restoration and enhancement of the vitality of rural America.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House

March 1, 1971