BBB is a bad bill for rural Minnesota
Published on July 15, 2025 at 4:16pm EDT | Author: frazeevergas
0To the Editor,
Representative Michelle Fischbach has failed to stand up for Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District. Her support for the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) — despite its devastating consequences for rural communities — reflects political loyalty over constituent needs.
In rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline: it covers 1 in 4 residents, half of all births, one-fifth of hospital discharges, and 65 percent of nursing home residents. Yet the Congressional Budget Office estimates that BBB would slash federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion, forcing 11.8 million Americans off coverage. In Minnesota alone, the Rural Hospital Association estimates the bill would cut $1.065 billion in Medicaid funding, stripping coverage from more than 36,000 people.
Our hospitals are already under immense strain. Nearly half of rural hospitals nationwide operate at a loss, and between 2010 and 2021, 140 of them closed their doors. In Minnesota, over 24 percent of hospitals are running in the red, and 10 have closed inpatient services in the past decade.
The economic fallout is severe. Each hospital job contributes roughly $200,000 annually to the local economy. When a hospital employing 300 people shuts down, the community loses $60 million a year — not just in healthcare, but in livelihoods.
Some point to the $50 billion in rural hospital funding added to BBB in the Senate. But that figure doesn’t come close to offsetting the $1 trillion in cuts. It’s like patching a dam with duct tape.
And that’s only part of the damage. The bill also slashes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which supports not only low-income families but also rural grocery stores and farmers by keeping local food economies viable.
BBB is a bad bill for rural Minnesota. Representative Fischbach’s support of it speaks volumes about whose interests she prioritizes — and it’s not ours. District 7 deserves a representative who listens to their constituents, not just party leadership or wealthy donors.
(Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, National Rural Hospital Association, American Hospital Association, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Politico)
Sincerely,
#concernedcitizensofcd7
Dan Florey, Sharon Ostlie, Audrey Arner, Ellen Moore, Teresa Patton, Misty Butler, Sara Soden, Robin Moore, Scott Soden, Rachel Kepler, Amy Bacigalupo, Sandy Fiecke,
Daniel Florey, Montevideo