Welch is Ranking Member of Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will hold a Pen and Pad with reporters on Thursday to discuss the importance of making Washington work better for rural America. He will focus on his work to cut red tape for rural communities and improve critical federal programs and services, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Senator Welch will also be available to answer questions about the news of the day.  

Senator Welch introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act, on the anniversaries of Vermont’s catastrophic floods of July 2023 and 2024. The Disaster AID Act would cut red tape and support hazard mitigation efforts, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide technical assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster response. The bill was inspired and shaped by the disaster recovery experience of communities across Vermont. He also introduced the Rural Recovery Act, which would create a new program at U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to provide state offices with automatic funding for emergency recovery technical assistance after disasters take place in their jurisdiction.  

This conversation is the second in a series hosted by Senator Welch on issues impacting rural America. In June, he discussed threats to rural health care under the Trump Administration.  

LOGISTICS:  
WHAT:           A conversation with Senator Peter Welch on Making Washington Work Better for Rural America 
WHEN:          Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. 
WHERE:        S-316 

***Please RSVP to Aaron_White@welch.senate.gov; 202-960-0677 or 608-792-3617 ***