Your Vote to Defund Rural Hospitals Harms Iowa and Betrays Christian Values

I am writing to express my profound disappointment in your recent vote to defund vital federal health care programs supporting rural hospitals. This decision will have disastrous consequences for rural Iowans and countless Americans living in similar communities nationwide. The reality is stark: over 190 rural hospitals have closed since 2005, and many more are dangerously close to closing their doors. According to a recent report by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, 453 rural hospitals are currently at high or mid-high risk of closure—that’s nearly one in four rural hospitals across the country. Iowa is not immune to this crisis; several of our rural hospitals are already on the brink. Rural hospitals serve as lifelines to communities that are often miles away from alternative care. When these hospitals close, residents face longer travel times for emergency care, prenatal services, and chronic disease management. This leads to higher mortality rates, poorer health outcomes, and overwhelming financial hardship for families forced to seek distant care. Your vote to cut funding will accelerate closures, worsen provider shortages, and further isolate vulnerable populations. It will force mothers to give birth hours from their hometowns and seniors to wait longer for critical care. Moreover, this vote flies in the face of Christian principles. Defunding health care access for the poor, the sick, and the elderly is not compassionate—it is cruel. Jesus taught us to care for the least among us, to heal the sick and protect the vulnerable. By voting to reduce support for rural hospitals, you have abandoned these core values. Rural hospitals are more than medical facilities—they are pillars of community life, major employers, and essential to economic stability. Your constituents deserve better than to be sacrificed in political games. I urge you to reconsider your position, publicly explain your vote, and work toward restoring funding to protect rural health care. Iowa’s families and communities depend on it.