By Anna Almendrala
CalMatters
Rural counties in California are breathing a sigh of relief this week. Nine months after Congress failed to renew critical federal funding for rural schools, roads and other public services, it reversed course this week and overwhelmingly agreed to restore the money and pay counties back for what they had gone without this year. The bill is now headed to President Donald Trump for final approval, which he is expected to give.ย
The bipartisan effort to restore federal funding to rural communities was bolstered in part by CalMatters reporter Carolyn Jones, whose coverage of the issue sparked public interest in the matter. In California, 39 counties would share more than $40 million.
