USDA rural telehealth program gets seven-year lifeline
H.R. 290 — Rural Telehealth and Education Enhancement Act of 2025 · Filed by Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY) · 7 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 9, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill extends the Department of Agriculture's Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program authorization from 2023 to 2030, keeping the program alive for seven additional years. Rural communities and agricultural producers benefit by maintaining federal funding for broadband-enabled distance education and remote medical services in underserved areas.
Why we flagged it
The bill performs a single, straightforward function: extending an existing USDA program's authorization window by seven years. It is a routine reauthorization with no policy changes to the program itself.
Who it affects
Rural residents and agricultural communities gain continued access to federally funded distance learning and telemedicine services that would otherwise expire. The extension preserves existing infrastructure and services with no apparent cost to citizens or restrictions on rights.