Sen. Al Franken’s Advisory Team Meets With Local Leaders
With major changes being discussed regarding healthcare and federal spending,
In total, 14 area representatives were in attendance for the local meeting in
In response, Schwitzer said that this is a major issue that has been a concern by leaders in other small communities as well.
"Often times -- these cuts, other cuts -- you'll have folks justifying it saying, 'That's not the federal government's responsibility...' What would that mean if the federal government decided that wasn't our responsibility?," Schwitzer said.
Speaking on behalf of the
"We have a great shortage of health care workforce," Thorson said. "We already know that the debt for healthcare professionals coming out is very high. If funding is decreased for the training programs, that debt is going to be even higher and take even longer to pay off."
Changes to national health policies have become a major talking point as a large percentage of Americans (the "baby boomers") are aging and their health care becomes more and more expensive.
Just as importantly, there is a shortage of professionals in the medical field to provide services. In fact, a statement published last April by
A final, major concern that was voiced throughout the conversation was regarding the proposed 21 percent cut to agriculture spending in the new budget. Schwitzer said "I don't know how you cut 21 percent out of the budget without really hurting programs that are important. That's certainly an area where we were pretty surprised to see those cuts."
After the meeting, Schwitzer said
The meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month and are open to the public.
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