US Rep. Ronny Jackson visits rural Texas Panhandle for town halls

Ronny Jackson, U.S. Representative for the 13th district representing Amarillo and most of the Texas Panhandle, held a town hall in Stratford, located about 80 miles north of Amarillo Wednesday as part of a two-town tour which included Canadian as well.

A group of about 25 people from the area greeted Jackson at the Sherman County Barn in Stratford to discuss a variety of issues ranging from election security and agriculture to the fossil fuel industry and rural health care.

Ronny Jackson responds to loss of rural hospitals

The loss of rural hospitals severely affects the Panhandle region, which has a lot of residents who must travel great distances to get medical care. The state of Texas has seen 26 rural hospitals in the last decade close, according to the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, federal funds have helped many rural hospitals stay afloat, but without that additional funding, many rural hospitals are in jeopardy. Texas has the highest population of individuals without health insurance, estimated at about 18 million people and being one of only 12 states that have refused to expand Medicare coverage. This leaves many in rural areas without many options for healthcare.

When asked about the loss of rural hospitals in the state, Jackson stated that he did not feel that the expansion of Medicaid had any more of an impact on rural hospitals than on urban hospitals.

“We have to protect rural hospitals; they do not have the revenue that urban hospitals have and have smaller margins,” Jackson said. “There are federal dollars available which amounts to a subsidy. We must prop up rural hospitals to help keep them afloat. All hospitals are not created equal, but we have to have rural hospitals available for people in remote areas.”

Oil and gas become huge topic at town hall

Gas prices and so-called attacks on the oil industry were a major discussion item at the town hall. Jackson blamed the Biden Administration for its war on oil with its green new deal measures that have made oil companies hesitant to invest in producing more oil.

He said that oil companies have refused to add oil refineries due to restrictions from the Biden Administration. Oil companies had not built a new refinery with significant downstream capability since 1977, which spanned both Democrat and Republican administrations.

The Biden Administration has also asked U.S based oil companies to reduce oil exports to reduce pricing in the United States; Jackson said that that was among the stupidest ideas possible since the oil that he claims is exported cannot be refined in the U.S. Jackson said that sitting on this oil would only reduce output from the oil companies.

“There is no appetite to build new refineries or retool them with the attitude of the Biden Administration has had toward the oil industry,” Jackson said. “You cannot ask the oil industries for help when you have their number one on your hit list. They have done everything in their power to shut down the oil industry in this country.”

Over the past year, U.S. oil production has been the second highest in U.S. history, currently producing 11.8 billion barrels a day.

When asked why oil companies have not invested or built new refineries and retooled their facilities in the past few decades, Jackson said that it was not necessary until the current administration, which has been hostile to the industry.

How does agriculture affect this election?

Jackson talked about his priorities for his district if re-elected to congress, where he listed agriculture as the most important issue for this region.

“We have the farm bill coming up next year,” Jackson said. “Nothing could be more important right now than to make sure this area is putting out a good product with its agricultural importance to the region.”

During the town hall, Jackson pushed for the move back to paper ballots to be counted for election integrity and said that he felt the 2020 election was rife with fraud. He also expressed that Joe Biden should be brought up for impeachment while not specifying a charge when asked a question from the crowd on the issue.

Other issues brought up at the town hall were about China purchasing farmland, the impact of executive orders and the impact of the Democratic party on policies.

“I appreciate the work he is doing, and I hope he keeps it up,” Ellen Tilley, a town hall attendee, said. "I do not want China to take over our agriculture in the U.S.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Ronny Jackson visits rural Texas Panhandle for town halls