WASHINGTON -- Three busloads of folks from Robeson County trekked to the nation's capital Tuesday to stack their stories of economic hardship and suggestions for rural aid up against budget woes and political reality.

But instead of promises of quick help, they got warnings of tough battles ahead. And instead of more money to help foster rural economic development, Congress is working on budget plans that would cut such aid.

Sallie McLean, a former town commissioner from Maxton, wasn't too discouraged.

"I know Rome wasn't built in a day," she said. "I know these guys know what's happening."

She and other Robeson political and community leaders want more -- for their county and more than 200 others like it throughout the nation. At a forum hosted by the Congressional Rural Caucus, they offered glimpses into lives of struggle and a package of ideas for rebuilding rural economies by helping small businesses.

Their recommendations did not come with an overall price tag, but they presented the idea for a $20 million small business development program as one that other counties could copy.

To buttress the arguments for special attention to rural economies, Leslie Hossfeld, a sociologist at UNC-Pembroke, used her study of job losses in Robeson to describe a county in decline, "the most serious economic and social crisis of the last 75 years."

North Carolina lost more textile and apparel jobs in 2000 and 2001 than any other state, and 69 percent of all textile layoffs were in rural counties, according to The Rural Center. From 1993 to 2003, Robeson lost about 8,700 manufacturing jobs. In 1993, 31 percent of the county's jobs were in manufacturing. Ten years later, manufacturing accounted for 18 percent of jobs.

Between 1994 and 2002, personal bankruptcies tripled, Hossfeld told the forum, which drew about 100 people.

The county's unemployment rate hovered above 9 percent in January, higher than the statewide average of 5.8 percent.

Factories don't account for all the job losses.

McLean was an auditor at Unilever in Hoke County until about two years ago.

These days, she works three jobs to pay her bills. She said she has seen the consequences of a sour economy in her own life and in the community.

"Medical expenses are my own personal problem now," she testified. "My credit rating went from exemplary to slow payer."

Meanwhile, vandalism and drug use in the county has increased, McLean said.

Tax collections have declined so drastically that the county didn't have enough money last year to maintain its ambulances, said County Manager Ken Windley. EMS vehicles would break down while on emergency calls.

Rep. John Peterson, a Pennsylvania Republican and the caucus chairman, echoed the importance of helping rural businesses, but he wasn't sold on the notion that the prescription for one rural county will help them all.

"What will work in your county and what will work in my county are different," he said. "We're all different."

Rep. Mike McIntyre, the Lumberton Democrat who invited the Robeson group to Washington, said the timing coincided with "the vicious budget battles" about to begin.

He has hopes that his idea for a multistate economic development and jobs plan modeled after the Appalachian Regional Commission will gain a foothold this year.

"There's no uptick in the economy if we don't reach those areas that are in the most dire need," he said.

After the meeting, Windley and McLean were resigned to the idea that the trip wouldn't yield any immediate help for Robeson.

Still, Windley hoped that news about the trip would inspire residents of rural counties across the country to coordinate similar trips to Washington to tell their stories.

The most the visitors would get from the day was 16 hours on a bus and a chance to see their congressman and make their pleas for help in person.

At the end of the afternoon, the group posed for pictures on the Capitol steps.

"One, two, three -- jobs," they chanted at the cameras.