Federal funding for infrastructure improvements in colonias, predominately rural, Hispanic communities near the U.S.-Mexico border, including 150 in New Mexico, is getting a second look from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Jill Naamane, financial markets and community investment director for the GAO, said there are grant and loan programs targeting colonias to improve water and wastewater systems and housing but the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not have accurate data on the extent of program benefits.

She pointed out colonias have high poverty rates.

"Many of them started as settlements that were associated with military forts or missionary activities, so they kind of grew up outside of cities without being connected to the same infrastructure," Naamane explained.

The GAO analyzed program documentation and funding data from 2020 to 2023, conducted local interviews and made physical observations during 24 site visits in the four U.S.-Mexico border states. They recommended Congress consider revising the population requirement for colonias to continue receiving block-grant funding given population growth in the Southwest.

Naamane acknowledged many colonias face challenges in obtaining and using federal assistance because local governments do not have the staff to apply for federal funds. Without some administrative revisions, she projects nearly 60% of colonias will likely become ineligible in the future for certain targeted financial assistance.

"They're typically areas that have poor water and sewage infrastructure, substandard housing and a number of other economic and environmental challenges," Naamane outlined. "There's a continuing need for assistance in these communities."

In southern New Mexico, the designated colonia of Anthony, home to about 10,000 people, is refurbishing and expanding its wastewater treatment plant with grants and loans from the USDA. The new plant started treating wastewater this month, with the entire project scheduled for completion in November.


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North Dakota has 30 available workers for every 100 open jobs. To help confront workforce shortages, the state is now accepting grant applications to kick-start solutions at the local level.

The Department of Commerce's Regional Workforce Impact Program invites towns, cities and their business development groups to seek out the grants.

Arik Spencer, president and CEO of the Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, said providing seed money to foster innovation in worker recruitment might boost rural areas at a competitive disadvantage.

"Whether it is starting manufacturing ventures or doing other creative things," Spencer outlined. "To the extent that this can help those, maybe, small communities or underserved communities get people to move there and bolster their workforce, we think that's a positive outcome."

Spencer pointed out the innovation might look like closing affordable housing gaps, which he said is a common roadblock around the state. He and other stakeholders monitoring the labor landscape still hope for broader support when the Legislature reconvenes early next year. North Dakota's labor shortage woes appear to be more pressing than its neighboring states.

Spencer noted no matter the size of the community, applicants appear to be in the driver's seat in coming up with fixes that work for their populations.

"While living in Fargo may be attractive to some people, maybe living in Watford City's attractive to others," Spencer acknowledged. "This grant program allows those regional communities to figure out their own solutions and tackle those with the support of the state."

The application period began this week and runs through Jan. 21. There are grant caps for certain categories. For example, a local coalition focused on recruiting talent can receive a grant of up to $250,000. The cap is higher for infrastructure needs related to worker recruitment, such as child care centers.


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Groups from across Michigan are sounding the alarm on the effect Republican-backed policies would have on people in rural parts of the state.

In a recent webinar by the group Progress Michigan, leaders say policies laid out in Project 2025 are in stark opposition to the needs facing rural Michiganders. Representatives from Indigenous tribes, public school teachers and family farmers gave their views on the potential changes if the GOP regains power.

Dakota Shananaquet, member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa, said she fears for her people's basic rights.

"The Project 2025 Agenda is a right-wing power grab that would harm Indigenous communities, our sovereignty and the ability for us to exercise our vote," Shananaquet asserted. "It would make outcomes worse by defunding health care and education programs."

Project 2025 is a 900-page document outlining plans for a conservative takeover of the federal government. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has disavowed any part in developing the document. However, dozens of former Trump administration officials contributed to the proposals.

Bob Thompson, president of the Michigan Farmers Union, which represents hundreds of small and medium-family farms, said the GOP plans to eliminate programs helping independent farmers implement conservation and clean energy goals, and most of the federal farm program's current financial safety net features.

"Family farmers operate on narrow margins and need the protection of many of the very programs that Project 2025 seeks to eliminate," Thompson explained. "Most elements stand against what rural folks want for our families and our future here in Michigan."

Gary Wellnitz, Northern Michigan field representative for the American Federation of Teachers-Michigan, said Project 2025 would have negative and destructive effects on public schools across the state.

"It's going to make the safety in our public schools far worse," Wellnitz contended. "We're going to see small schools closing down, We're going to see teachers losing jobs by the thousands if this were to take hold."


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With many rural hospitals on the financial critical list, Congress created a Rural Emergency Hospital model in 2021 to help deliver critical care to struggling communities in Nebraska and elsewhere.

Two years in, the Bipartisan Policy Center has issued a report which showed care is improving where the system has been implemented but more work is needed. Under the model, 32 Rural Emergency Hospitals in 14 states have been established.

Julia Harris, health program director at the center, said the plan is preserving health care options for rural residents.

"If you start seeing hospital closures go down, that's a success measure," Harris asserted. "Because this should be what helps them meet the needs of the community and stay open rather than being forced to close."

Harris pointed out under the Rural Emergency Hospital model, a rural facility can offer emergency department, observation, outpatient care and skilled nursing facility services in a distinct unit. Warren Memorial Hospital in the town of Friend is currently the only such facility in Nebraska.

Harris noted the growth of the model is reducing the number of rural hospital closures but acknowledged challenges remain in operational flexibility and the availability of financial assistance. She emphasized they studied states across the Midwest, looking for hospitals and communities which could benefit from a Rural Emergency Hospital.

"The reason we chose Kansas and Nebraska is because there was some modeling done to see which states would have the most hospitals eligible for this model," Harris explained. "Those were two states that had a lot of potential REHs. "

Other recommendations in the report included support for prescription drug discounts, more flexibility in converting to Rural Emergency Hospital status, timely payments to speed the process and more funding for providing technical and operational assistance, with what are called technical assistance centers.

"There is a federal TA center to help hospitals that are trying to consider their pros and cons," Harris observed. "We advocate for continued funding for that TA center to be able to continue to do this sort of advising and help states make these choices."