America’s Rural Future: Eastern Kentucky site visits highlight locally led recovery, Main Street reinvestment, and civic institutions anchoring a region in transition ^31.6%

Brookings - By Adam Aley, Junjie Ren - 6/22/2026, 9:00 AM

Optimism Bias 22.7% - Halo Effect 20.2% - Framing Effect 16.3%

America’s Rural Future: Brookings-AEI Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity held site visits and a field hearing in Eastern Kentucky as part of a two-year, bipartisan effort to develop policy recommendations to strengthen rural communities nationwide. The Commission is co-chaired by former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and former Governor... more