Reluctant Republicans bless Trump-backed health stimulus; $189M headed to rural S.D.
Rural Healthcare Transformation grants included in Big Beautiful Bill; Legislature sends approval to governor's desk
PIERRE — Deficit-conscious Republicans in the South Dakota Legislature voted Wednesday — some reluctantly — to accept nearly $190 million in federal stimulus funding for rural health care, setting aside broader concerns about national debt in favor of infrastructure investments supporters say could reshape access to care across the state.
House Bill 1044 cleared its final legislative hurdle after lawmakers from both parties agreed to distribute $189.4 million in federal Rural Healthcare Transformation grant funds to communities outside South Dakota’s two largest population centers, a rare point of consensus in a Capitol often wary of federal spending.
