The NYT’s opinion piece Can Anything Be Done to Assuage Rural Rage? is a more than worthwhile read. (You don't need a subscription to read it using the link provided.) Columnist Paul Krugman writes, in part:
This week my colleague Thomas B. Edsall surveyed research on the rural Republican shift. I was struck by his summary of work by Katherine J. Cramer, who attributes rural resentment to perceptions that rural areas are ignored by policymakers, don’t get their fair share of resources and are disrespected by “city folks.”
As it happens, all three perceptions are largely wrong. I’m sure that my saying this will generate a tidal wave of hate mail, and lecturing rural Americans about policy reality isn’t going to move their votes. Nonetheless, it’s important to get our facts straight.
The truth is that ever since the New Deal rural America has received special treatment from policymakers. It’s not just farm subsidies, which ballooned under Donald Trump to the point where they accounted for around 40 percent of total farm income. Rural America also benefits from special programs that support housing, utilities and business in general.
Krugman’s piece will lead you down a rabbit hole of other Times articles and opinion pieces. All are very interesting. As someone who lived in an urban area before retiring to the Northern Neck, rural policy is new. And it will take time to learn more. But in the meantime, here’s a snapshot from USDA Rural Development Summary of Major Programs (PDF) of federal programs available to rural America.
