Project 2025 Rural News Clips, May 9, 2025
Key reports addressing violence against Indigenous women are gone from federal sites; Pain now, jobs later? Farmers wait; Are rural attitudes towards Trump shifting?
POLITICS AND ELECTIONS
KCRG
Are rural attitudes towards Trump shifting?
May 6, 2025
Some rural voters are beginning to express dissatisfaction with Trump, especially in light of proposed budget cuts affecting agriculture.
Local organizers and residents report a noticeable shift in attitudes compared to the strong support he received in 2016.
Despite signs of growing unease, national polling still shows overwhelming loyalty to Trump among his rural base.
The evidence of shifting views remains largely anecdotal and may not represent a widespread change in rural areas.
AGRICULTURE
Politico’s Weekly Agriculture
White House budget proposal cuts nutrition, conservation spending
May 5, 2025
“In the White House’s fiscal 2026 spending plan, which Congress does not have to accept, Trump is proposing significant cuts to food, forest and conservation programs and increased funding for the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative.”
“The plan would eliminate the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which supports low-income seniors, and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, in which USDA buys food from U.S. farmers and sends it abroad as foreign aid. Trump is proposing replacing CSFP with ‘MAHA food boxes.’”
“USDA’s Rural Development, Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service would also see significant cuts under the Trump proposal. The Food Safety and Inspection Service, which handles meatpacking plant inspections, would get a boost, as would a USDA rental assistance program.”
“The president’s budget sparked immediate concern among some farm, conservation and anti-hunger groups.”
“Other groups expressed concern that the budget would undermine efforts to preserve clean water and cut down on agricultural pollution.”
Farm Progress
Pain now, jobs later? Farmers wait
May 5, 2025
President Trump's recent tariff policies have raised significant concerns within the U.S. agricultural sector, particularly as farm income is projected to decline in 2025.
U.S. farmers are experiencing financial strain due to new tariffs, with projections indicating a $42 billion decrease in farm income for 2024.
Retaliatory tariffs from countries like China have led to a sharp decline in exports, especially soybeans, where U.S. market share in China dropped from 40% in 2016 to 21% in 2024.
While some livestock sectors see potential benefits from addressing trade barriers, crop producers, particularly soybean farmers, are facing significant challenges.
The agricultural community is divided on the long-term benefits of these tariffs, with some hoping for future gains and others concerned about immediate economic hardships.
The current Farm Bill's safety nets are deemed insufficient by many, leading to calls for updated support mechanisms to address the evolving challenges faced by farmers.
AVIAN FLU
CIDRAP
Spike in avian flu cases in cats triggers worry about human spillover
May 8, 2025
“University of Maryland scientists are calling for increased surveillance of avian flu in domestic cats after a global review of 20 years of published data reveals a dramatic uptick in feline infections—and the number of ways cats are being infected—after the emergence of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in other mammals.”
“Zoos, animal shelters, farms and private rural land were the most common settings of infections in cats.”
“In total, 62.6% of the cases involved domestic cats, and 71.3% of the 423 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed cases were fatal.”
“Most infections were confirmed or suspected to result from bird-to-cat transmission, most often from eating dead pigeons, chickens, or other birds but also from contaminated raw chicken feed.”
Funding cuts in conjunction with Project 2025 goals has allowed avian flu to spread with far less oversight.
ABC News
Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here's what you need to know
May 5, 2025
“Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the United States more than a year after the first human case was detected.”
“Since then, at least 70 people have fallen ill and at least one death was recorded in Louisiana.”
“The number of confirmed cases in humans has held steady for almost two months, but hundreds of dairy cows continue to be infected and raw milk samples in several states have tested positive for bird flu, according to federal health officials.”
Infection in cows is concerning because cow udders are uncommonly adept at turning animal viruses into something that more easily infects humans.
“There is currently no evidence the virus is spreading between people, and the CDC has said the risk to the general public is low. However, some experts told ABC News fear the virus could still mutate or adapt to become more severe or transmissible.”
CHILD CARE
USA Today
White House reverses course on proposal to eliminate Head Start
May 5, 2025
“The Trump administration has reversed course on a proposal to cut all funding for Head Start, a preschool and child-care program relied on by hundreds of thousands of low-income families.”
“But the White House's broader efforts to slash more than $160 billion from the federal budget could still have implications for Head Start families.”
"The proposed deep cuts to non-defense discretionary programs – many of which Head Start families depend on – pose a serious threat to the strength and stability of these essential services," said Yasmina Vinci, the executive director for the National Head Start Association. "We will continue our efforts until there is clear assurance that Head Start and its related services are fully protected."
Also, “other preschool and after-school programs may be in jeopardy as the Republican-controlled Congress wrestles over the federal budget this summer.”
The White House proposed eliminating “a $75 million grant system that gives money to colleges to support child-care services.”
“In addition, the proposal would abolish preschool development grants, which set aside money for states to improve early childhood education.”
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Oregon Capital Chronicle
Federal funding cuts hit Oregon programs supporting kids in foster care
May 5, 2025
“Advocates for abused and neglected children in Oregon lost more federal funding in late April after the U.S. Department of Justice abruptly terminated grants.”
“While attorneys and caseworkers are overburdened, CASA volunteers — short for Court Appointed Special Advocates — take on one child at a time and support them during the court process.”
“The Yamhill County CASA network, which represents about 150 foster kids in rural northwest Oregon, lost access to a $35,000 federal grant it received to maintain its full-time staff and support its CASA volunteers.”
“The Yamhill County network is one of 19 programs across Oregon that lost federal funding after the U.S. Department of Justice on April 22 announced it was cutting funding to the National CASA Network, which had distributed funds and support to local programs.”
“With those funds gone, Oregon programs now face budget shortfalls as they continue helping vulnerable children.”
CRYPTOCURRENCY AND DATA CENTERS
IEEE Spectrum
Bitcoin Mining's Outsized Impact on the U.S. Grid
May 3, 2025
A lot of cryptocurrency data centers are in rural areas where the land is cheaper and there are fewer people to complain about the noise, but it’s still bothering locals, causing area power grids to work overtime, and therefore creating more pollution.
“To understand just how much energy was being used by Bitcoin mines in the U.S., the Harvard researchers analyzed a database of the 34 largest Bitcoin mines in the country—which combined are responsible for 80 percent of U.S. Bitcoin mining capacity.”
“Researchers found that 32.3 terawatt-hours of electricity were consumed by the 34 Bitcoin mines—for comparison, 33 percent more electricity usage than the entire city of Los Angeles.”
“84 percent of that power was generated by plants burning fossil fuels. In other words, Bitcoin mining has essentially added a large city’s worth of electricity consumption—and the accompanying pollution.”
“One of the key findings was that the power plants supplying the Bitcoin mines were often located hundreds of kilometers away. That means that the worst environmental impacts of large-scale Bitcoin mining aren’t occurring near the mines themselves.”
DISASTERS
Kentucky Lantern
Climate change intensified April flooding in Kentucky, according to scientific modeling
May 8, 2025
“An increasingly warming climate intensified the deluge of rain that fell on Kentucky and other states in early April, according to a new report from a multinational academic group that studies climate change’s connections to extreme weather events.”
The Trump administration has consistently acted to weaken environmental laws and their enforcement, in line with Project 2025 goals.
The Washington Post
NOAA will stop updating database tracking costliest weather disasters
May 8, 2025
“Federal scientists will no longer update a list of weather disasters that cause billions of dollars in damage, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. The list had been growing dramatically in recent years, a sign of both extreme weather and increasing development across the country.”
Rural areas are disproportionately likely to suffer damage from climate change-induced disasters.
The Daily Yonder
Climate Disasters Inflict Outsized Harm on Pregnant and Young Families
May 7, 2025
“Hurricane Helene brought particular misery to young and expectant parents, especially those in rural areas.”
Los Angeles Times
NPR stations targeted for cuts by Trump have provided lifelines to listeners during disasters
May 4, 2025
“Public radio stations have been a lifeline for residents during natural disasters that take out power, the internet and cell towers. And in many remote and rural areas across the U.S., they can be a lone source of local news.”
But “public radio stations are being targeted for cuts by President Trump. Last week, he signed an executive order aimed at slashing public subsidies to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, alleging bias in the broadcasters’ reporting.”
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The New York Times
States Sue Over Freeze on Funding for Electric-Vehicle Charging
May 7, 2025
“A coalition of states led by Washington, Colorado and California sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, charging that it was unlawfully withholding billions of dollars allocated by Congress for electric-vehicle charging stations across the United States.”
“The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law provided $5 billion to states to build stations around the country. So far, 71 stations have been built, with many more in development.”
“California officials noted on Wednesday that one of the … biggest losers would be rural states that had expected the federal dollars.”
Many rural areas wanted the chargers as a means to entice travelers to stay and eat or shop while their cars charged, contributing to the local economy.
ENVIRONMENT
ProPublica
Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.
May 6, 2025
“The Trump administration’s slashing of budgets and staff have Great Lakes scientists concerned that they have lost the ability to protect the public from toxic algal blooms, which can kill animals and sicken people.”
They also heavily impact tourism.
The blooms mostly come from agricultural fertilizer runoff.
FARM BILL
Port City Daily
Industry-backed provision tucked into Farm Bill shields liability for pesticide manufacturers
May 6, 2025
“Last week, the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved an amended version of the North Carolina Farm Act of 2025.”
“Under a provision included in the most recent bill, pesticide manufacturers and sellers’ responsibility to warn the public about chemical health risks would be satisfied if products are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Pesticide Board.”
“Agro-chemical multinational Bayer has paid billions in settlements since it purchased Monsanto, manufacturer of weedkiller Roundup, in 2018.”
“Bayer formed a coalition to lobby for federal and state pesticide liability laws as part of its strategy to manage thousands of lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn consumers of the health risk of glyphosate, a chemical contained in Roundup.”
“Bayer helped draft a section of the federal Farm Bill last year aimed at limiting pesticide liability … Its lobbyists have pushed bills with similar language in around a dozen states.”
FOOD AND HUNGER
Politico
House Republicans plan major SNAP food aid overhaul in Trump megabill
May 6, 2025
“House Republicans are preparing one of the largest overhauls to the country’s largest anti-hunger programs in decades, with a plan to limit future increases to benefits, implement new work requirements and push costs to states in a move that risks millions of low-income Americans being removed from the program.”
“The Agriculture bill has faced delays since last recess amid centrist backlash over the deep food aid spending cuts.”
“GOP leaders are targeting a markup for next week, May 13 or 14, after deciding late last week to push back this week’s expected meeting.”
Grist
Trump radically remade the US food system in just 100 days
May 2, 2025
In the first 100 days of President Trump's term, the USDA underwent significant restructuring, leading to mass layoffs and program freezes that disrupted rural food systems and agricultural support.
The administration eliminated climate and equity considerations in programs, affecting rural communities' access to resources.
Environmental regulations were relaxed, potentially impacting rural land use and conservation efforts.
Changes in food safety and worker protections influenced rural food production and labor conditions.
HEALTH CARE, PHARMACIES AND RURAL HEALTH
Politico
CBO: Letting Affordable Care Act subsidies expire would lead to millions losing coverage
May 9, 2025
“Millions of people would lose health insurance if congressional Republicans let a policy expire intended to lower the out-of-pocket costs of Affordable Care Act plans, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate released Friday.”
The Associated Press
Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs
May 4, 2025
“U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s motto is “ Make America Healthy Again,” but government cuts could make it harder to know if that’s happening.”
“More than a dozen data-gathering programs that track deaths and disease appear to have been eliminated in the tornado of layoffs and proposed budget cuts rolled out in the Trump administration’s first 100 days.”
“Among those terminated at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were experts tracking abortions, pregnancies, job-related injuries, lead poisonings, sexual violence and youth smoking.”
Failure to track such data will obscure the outsized effects many of these issues have on rural America.
Modern Healthcare
Drug tariffs could boost 340B discounts—and scrutiny
May 5, 2025
“Hospitals could get higher 340B drug discounts if tariffs kick in for pharmaceuticals, potentially adding fuel to policymakers’ efforts to curb the program’s growth.”
“Under a potential tariff policy, drugmakers would have to pay more for pharmaceutical ingredients, many of which are sourced from China and India, possibly resulting in higher production costs and drug prices. If drug prices rise, hospitals eligible for discounted drugs could generate more savings through the federal 340B drug pricing program, legal and policy experts said.”
CBS News
HIV Testing and Outreach Falter as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep the South
May 6, 2025
“President Donald Trump, in his first term, promised to end America’s HIV epidemic — and he put the resources of the federal government behind the effort. This time, he has deployed the powers of his office to gut funding, abandoning those communities at highest risk of HIV.”
“Scaling back these efforts could prove tragic … Without an extra boost of support to get tested or stay on treatment, many people living with HIV will grow sicker and stand a greater chance of infecting others.”
“Funding cuts have shaken every state, but the South is acutely vulnerable when it comes to HIV … Southern states have the highest level of poverty and a severe shortage of rural clinics, and several haven’t expanded Medicaid so that more low-income adults have health insurance.”
Forbes
Opinion: Rural Healthcare Deserts Are A National Security Risk — We Need A Smarter Delivery Model
May 2, 2025
“Rural healthcare is collapsing faster than many realize. A new KFF report found that 44% of rural hospitals have negative operating margins, and that since 2017, 62 rural hospitals closed compared to 10 that opened, a net reduction of 52 hospitals.”
“At the same time, retail pharmacy closures are accelerating, with Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS shutting hundreds of stores across small towns and rural America. Walgreens alone has announced plans to close up to 25% of its locations.”
“The downstream consequences aren’t just about inconvenience. They’re about life and death, economic resilience and national security.”
“Rural Americans are losing access not only to emergency care, but also to the basic healthcare infrastructure that underpins entire communities.”
“The current healthcare delivery model–centralized, hospital-centric and deeply inefficient–is unsustainable, particularly in rural America.”
“We need a tiered, rational and tech-enabled model of care that recognizes the strategic role of local pharmacies and community providers. Failure to act is both a public health risk and a systemic vulnerability.”
Becker’s Hospital Review
Reimbursement Trends May Reshape Rural Emergency Healthcare Services
May 5, 2025
“With proposed payer policy changes anticipated in 2025 under the Trump Administration, the evolving landscape of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement is poised to reshape rural healthcare delivery in ways that are not yet fully understood.”
“Critical Access Hospitals, including standalone emergency departments (EDs), rural hospitals, and micro-hospitals (facilities typically with fewer than 25 beds), face growing financial pressure due to these impending changes.”
“Since these facilities derive a significant portion of their revenue from Medicaid and Medicare, anticipated reductions in federal funding could further destabilize rural healthcare access.”
“While standalone EDs that primarily serve private payers may experience less direct impact, many rural facilities will struggle to remain operational.”
“The key question for healthcare leaders becomes how these financial shifts might negatively affect rural healthcare services and what can be done in response.”
HOUSING
HousingWire
USDA’s rural manufactured housing rule has gone into effect
May 7, 2025
“The USDA’s Rural Housing Service saw the new final rule allowing for financing of manufactured homes go into effect on Monday.”
“In HUD’s original announcement, the department said that the program ‘provides an alternative to purchase of these communities by private equity funds and similar financial interests, whose track record reportedly includes unaffordable rent increases, failure to invest in community infrastructure, and regulations that don’t respect the community’s culture.’”
The Daily Yonder
Analysis: Trump 2026 Budget Slashes Rural Housing and Other Programs
May 6, 2025
“The administration’s spending outline calls for eliminating direct housing loans, vouchers, and self-help programs. The 502 loan program alone has helped more than 2 million rural families buy homes over the past 75 years.”
IMMIGRATION
Barn Raiser
Beyond the Ivy League, International Students at Rural Colleges Are Being Detained by ICE
May 8, 2025
“Students, teachers and staff work ‘day and night’ to protect the rights of international students, often the lifeblood of rural college towns.”
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The Associated Press
Vaccine teams in Mexico scramble over measles outbreak rippling out from Mennonite community
May 9, 2025
Community health workers are “part of an effort by health authorities across the country to contain Mexico’s biggest measles outbreak in decades, as cases climb not only here but in the U.S. and Canada.”
“In Mexico, cases have been concentrated in the Mennonite community — long skeptical of vaccines and distrustful of authorities — in the northern border state of Chihuahua.”
“Officials say results of their campaign alongside Mennonite leaders have been mixed — they cite tens of thousands of new vaccinations in Chihuahua, but infections have ballooned and spread past the community to Indigenous and other populations.”
Politico
States loosen vaccine rules — even as measles outbreak rages
May 7, 2025
“The U.S. is on track to surpass 1,000 measles cases this year as the viral illness — once so rare that most young doctors don’t recognize the telltale rash — makes an alarming comeback.”
“The outbreak, which has spread to 29 states as of May 1 and claimed three lives, hasn’t stopped some local lawmakers from considering or implementing policies that could make it even easier for parents to opt out of school vaccination requirements for their children.”
Stateline
As measles outbreaks grow, Trump cuts hinder vaccination efforts
May 6, 2025
“The number of measles cases is approaching 1,000 across 29 states, according to newly released federal statistics. Even as the outbreaks grow, more local governments are complaining that their efforts to combat measles with vaccination clinics have been shut down by abrupt federal funding cuts.”
“There have been three confirmed deaths, two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, all unvaccinated.”
CIDRAP
North Dakota reports first measles case since 2011
May 5, 2025
“An unvaccinated child in Williams County, North Dakota, is the state’s first measles case since 2011.”
“According to state health officials, the child is believed to have contracted the illness from an out-of-state visitor. The child is recuperating at home in isolation.”
CBS News
Weekly measles cases hit new record amid worst outbreak since 1990s
May 2, 2025
“Weekly measles cases have set a new record, according to figures published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, topping the peak of an outbreak in 2019 that ranked as the worst since the 1990s.”
“The number of cases that had their symptoms start during the week of March 30 has grown to 111.”
“This year, the majority of cases are from an ongoing outbreak in Texas and neighboring states, which is now larger than any other single outbreak since the virus was eliminated.”
“Between Texas and New Mexico, at least 750 of the measles cases reported this year have been linked to that outbreak. Cases in Oklahoma and other states have also been linked to the outbreak.”
“There have been 11 other local outbreaks of measles within the U.S. this year, up from 10 last week.”
INVASIVE SPECIES
Barn Raiser
Will the Vampire of the Great Lakes Rise Again?
May 5, 2025
“About 75 years ago, Great Lakes fish were nearly wiped out and the fishing industry as we know it completely eradicated.”
That’s because of an invasive, parasitic fish called the sea lamprey that breeds quickly and takes out a lot of lake fish critical for commerce, sporting, and environmental stability with its voracious appetite.
In the 1950s, scientists finally created a poison that kills lampreys and the U.S. and Canada established a commission — the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission — to coordinate to keep lampreys out of the lakes by regular application of the poison and with physical barriers and traps.
“If the TFM efforts ended today and the GLFC dissolved its program, there would be an estimated three to five years of fishing left in the Great Lakes before all of the fish would be gone.”
“In February 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with which the GLFC works on the American side of the border, experienced staffing reductions under the Trump administration, which impacted the ability to deliver the lamprey control program going into the new year.”
“Luckily, due to the support in Congress, the cuts were reversed.”
“The GLFC is jointly funded by Canada and the U.S., and at this point, there is no indication or signal that the program is in jeopardy. It has immense support from the Great Lakes congressional delegation.”
JAILS, PRISONS AND INCARCERATION
Michigan Live
In rural Michigan, a prison is reopening as biggest ICE detention hub in Midwest
May 3, 2025
In the middle of “rural Lake County, the vacant North Lake Correctional Facility is being reopened as the largest immigration detention facility in the Midwest.”
“GEO Group, a private prison company, announced a federal contract last month to reactivate the Baldwin facility.”
“It’s one of several recent deals the federal government has struck with for-profit prison companies to reopen shuttered facilities – some accused of neglect or unsafe conditions – under the Trump administration’s effort to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants.”
“When open, North Lake promises to be an economic boon for Lake County, as the largest employer and taxpayer in one of Michigan’s poorest counties.”
“But because the prison has opened and closed four times, the community remains skeptical that this time will be any different.”
JOURNALISM
Columbia Journalism Review
Rural and Tribal Public Radio Stations Brace for Funding Cuts
May 8, 2025
Rural broadcast radio stations “are facing an existential crisis. Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to cease all funding to NPR and PBS and to eliminate indirect sources of public financing like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually to stations nationwide.”
“The move could wipe out funding appropriated through 2026 and 2027, endangering stations that already operate on razor-thin margins.”
PEN America
Defunding public media will hit rural communities in the US hardest
May 7, 2025
Defunding public media will disproportionately harm rural communities in the United States, as highlighted in the PEN America article.
Rural communities heavily depend on public media for local news, educational content, and emergency information, often lacking alternative sources.
Public broadcasting serves as a vital platform for rural voices, ensuring representation and coverage of issues pertinent to these communities.
The loss of public media funding would exacerbate the information gap in rural areas, where commercial media outlets are scarce or nonexistent.
Public media supports civic engagement in rural regions by providing access to governmental proceedings and public affairs programming.
Defunding public broadcasting threatens the cultural and informational lifelines of rural America, potentially leading to increased isolation and disenfranchisement.
South Dakota Searchlight
SD public broadcasting warns of local impact from Trump’s attempt to cut national funding
May 5, 2025
“South Dakota Public Broadcasting faces a new funding threat after President Donald Trump signed an executive order recently ending federal support for NPR, PBS and their affiliate stations, including SDPB.”
“The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to halt all direct and indirect funding to those networks by June 30.”
“The Trump administration said the action was necessary to ensure that taxpayer dollars no longer support what it calls ‘blatantly biased and partisan programming.’”
“In South Dakota, Friends of SDPB issued an email appeal warning the cuts could affect local journalism, infrastructure and access to national programming.”
“PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger also responded in a national press release, calling the executive order ‘blatantly unlawful.’ She said PBS would ‘vigorously defend its independence and mission to serve all Americans, especially those in rural and underserved areas.’”
“Legal scholars and CPB officials say the order will likely face court challenges.”
LAYOFFS AND FUNDING CUTS
Stateline
As Trump slashes AmeriCorps, states lose a federal partner in community service
May 9, 2025
AmeriCorps, a “federal agency dedicated to community service and volunteerism … which works in close partnership with states, is the latest target since President Donald Trump began his second term with an aggressive campaign to dismantle programs and slash the federal workforce.”
“The agency abruptly cut $400 million, or 41% of its budget, and placed 85% of its staff on administrative leave last month, according to court records.”
“The cuts have produced upheaval for many nonprofits.”
“AmeriCorps members serve various roles in organizations that support environmental conservation projects, rebuild after natural disasters, prepare adults for the GED exam, tutor children and more.” Many are in rural areas.
CBS News
Trump administration cuts to AmeriCorps causing "damage and chaos," groups say
May 8, 2025
“Approximately half of the AmeriCorps programs terminated in a controversial decision by the Trump Administration are projects that serve states and communities President Trump won in the 2024 election, according to a review of the list of terminated AmeriCorps grant programs.”
“The wide-ranging list includes a child abuse prevention organization in Missouri, tutors for children in rural Alaska, a group that provides life-saving flood relief in West Virginia and an organization that has helped provide nearly 1 million volunteer service hours in Michigan.”
“Some of the impacted groups told CBS News the Trump administration's halting of some funding for AmeriCorps projects threatens the future of help in some of America's most impoverished counties and rural areas, many of which voted overwhelmingly for Trump last year.”
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Tracker: How the White House and DOGE Are Cutting Kentucky Jobs and Services
May 6, 2025
The Trump administration’s layoffs and funding cuts “are already affecting public services and programs Kentuckians rely on and are eliminating jobs in the state, but the speed and range of the cuts can make it hard to see a full picture of the impacts.”
“In a few cases, the administration is eliminating or severely curtailing entire programs. It is also cancelling contracts and grants to universities and other institutions, nonprofits and private businesses.”
“These cuts are eliminating Kentucky jobs, as are direct buyouts of federal workers, layoffs of probationary employees and other firings and reductions in agency staffing levels.”
“The legality of many of these decisions is in doubt and court challenges are under way. Public controversy and resulting judicial rulings have also led to some cuts being rolled back, increasing the difficulty in understanding their effects.”
The article has a tracker identifying impacts in Kentucky.
The New York Times
Trump Administration Is Said to Target Park Service Grants
May 7, 2025
“The Trump administration has earmarked dozens of National Park Service grants for elimination, including several that aim to protect public lands from the effects of climate change, according to an internal agency document detailing the plans.”
“A spreadsheet of grants likely to be canceled claims the cuts could save $26 million by canceling grants to universities, state historic preservation offices, tribes and youth corps.”
NPR
Trump's spending cuts are hitting communities of his supporters
May 5, 2025
“President Trump's rapid-fire spending cuts have affected communities all over the country — including strongholds of his supporters.”
The podcast recounts the effects on two rural communities in Maryland.
The Washington Post
Trump tariffs set off doubts — even in Rust Belt area he pledged to restore
May 6, 2025
“Almost two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of tariffs, and a lasting backlash could be especially consequential for Republicans in areas such as the Lehigh Valley, a perennial Rust Belt battleground where Trump’s campaign pitch resonated with many voters.”
“Trump’s tariffs have put pressure on some of the GOP’s most vulnerable incumbents in Congress — including the local congressman, freshman Ryan Mackenzie — as they try to defend Trump’s agenda while also acknowledging their constituents’ concerns.”
“Officials here are doubtful that any tariffs, no matter how drastic, can re-create the economy of the past.”
The Daily Yonder
Without AmeriCorps, Rural Communities Will Lose Essential Social Services
May 6, 2025
“After DOGE cut over $400 million worth of AmeriCorps grants across the country, rural nonprofits will struggle to survive.”
The Washington Post
A small Montana town has thrived on federal jobs. Now come Trump’s cuts.
May 1, 2025
Hamilton, Montana—a rural town of 5,000 residents—has long depended on federal employment at institutions like the Rocky Mountain Laboratories and the Bitterroot National Forest. Recent federal job cuts have significantly impacted the town's economy and community.
Staff reductions at key federal facilities have led to economic challenges, including decreased local business revenue and the departure of skilled workers.
The community has expressed concern over the loss of federal jobs, with local leaders and residents advocating for the preservation of these positions due to their importance to the town's stability.
The situation in Hamilton highlights the vulnerability of rural economies that are heavily reliant on federal employment, especially when facing nationwide government downsizing initiatives.
Kentucky Lantern
Kentucky school officials ask to extend federal COVID relief payouts for planned projects
May 2, 2025
“The Kentucky Department of Education has requested a funding extension for projects in 13 public school districts that are in jeopardy if the federal government continues to halt future payments of pandemic relief funds.” Many are rural.
The school districts were set to receive more than $35.5 million overall in Covid relief funds. “Some had signed contracts or incurred other obligations and must now re-examine their district budgets.”
MENTAL HEALTH
Ed Surge
Why Trump’s Cuts to Mental Health Programs Could Hit Rural Schools Harder
May 7, 2025
Many school mental health programs “could be on the chopping block thanks to Department of Education funding cuts.”
“Shrinking or losing these programs could be especially significant for school districts in rural areas, where mental health resources are more scarce and the need is higher than in urban hubs.”
“Many parts of the country are mental health care ‘deserts.’ If schools in those communities don’t provide this kind of support, children there are unlikely to be able to get it anywhere else.”
MILITARY AND VETERANS
ProPublica
Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials”
May 6, 2025
“After the Department of Veterans Affairs began shedding employees and contracts, Trump’s pick to run the agency, Secretary Doug Collins, pledged, ‘Veterans are going to notice a change for the better.’”
“But dozens of internal emails obtained by ProPublica reveal a far different reality. Doctors and others at VA hospitals and clinics across the country have been sending often desperate messages to headquarters detailing how cuts will harm veterans’ care. The VA provides health care to roughly 9 million veterans.” Veterans are disproportionately rural.
MINING AND DRILLING
Grist
100 days in, does Trump still ‘dig’ coal?
May 1, 2025
President Trump’s early actions favored the coal industry, including rolling back Obama-era regulations and promoting coal jobs, but they have not reversed the sector’s long-term decline.
Market forces like cheap natural gas and renewable energy continue to undercut coal, limiting the impact of deregulatory efforts.
Despite campaign promises, there has been little evidence of a significant resurgence in coal employment or production.
Communities dependent on coal remain economically vulnerable, with many rural areas not seeing the job growth Trump pledged.
Inside Climate News
Trump Aims to Fast Track Alabama Coal Build-Out, Citing US Need. Nearly All the Coal Is Bound for Export
May 6, 2025
“The Trump administration has announced it will aim to fast track the permitting and environmental review of a major coal mine expansion in central Alabama as part of a larger effort to accelerate the construction of what the government has labeled ‘critical mineral’ infrastructure.”
“While administration officials said the change is aimed at ‘significantly reduc[ing] our reliance on foreign nations,’ coal produced as part of Warrior Met’s expansion in Alabama is almost entirely exported overseas to support foreign steelmaking markets, according to the company.”
Inside Climate News
Scientists Map Where Orphan Wells Pose Threats to Aquifers
May 4, 2025
“For the first time, scientists have mapped groundwater variables nationally to understand which aquifers are most vulnerable to contamination from orphan wells.”
“Oil and gas wells with no active owner that are no longer producing and have not been plugged are considered orphan wells. These unplugged wells can create pathways for contaminants like hydrocarbons and brine to migrate from the oil and gas formation into groundwater zones. Plugging a well seals off these potential pathways.”
The Trump administration has made it much easier for frackers to pollute without consequences.
NATIVE AMERICANS
Wisconsin Examiner
Tribes raise awareness of the missing, murdered women, relatives by the shores of Lake Superior
May 5, 2025
Native Maerican activists are holding several events “around the nation during the month of May to raise awareness of the MMIWR [Murdered, Missing, Indigenous Women and Relatives] issue that has plagued tribal communities nationwide.”
“On some tribal reservations, the murder rate for tribal women is ten times the national average. Tribal members face violence, both domestic and outside their families, at a higher rate than the general population.”
“Several factors contribute to the MMIWR phenomenon including the fact that missing people belong to a vulnerable population that has suffered historical trauma and is disproportionately affected by poverty and substance abuse; exploitation associated with itinerant workers in mining and oil camps near reservations; and an inconsistent track record of law enforcement committing resources to solve murders or finding missing person.”
The 19th
Key reports addressing violence against Indigenous women are gone from federal sites
May 5, 2025
“The Department of Justice website has removed at least two key reports about violence against Indigenous people, including one prompted by legislation signed by President Donald Trump in his first term, as many groups that work to combat intimate partner violence worry about the future of federal funding.”
“The Bureau of Indian Affairs did not respond to requests for comment about the administration’s commitment to combating violence ahead of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Day of Awareness, designed to draw attention to the disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women.”
“May 5 is a day of mourning and action for the Indigenous people who have been murdered or remain missing. Many cases remain unsolved, leaving justice out of reach for families of victims.”
“The day has traditionally focused on the crisis of violence against Native American women, girls and two-spirit people, but in recent years has expanded to acknowledge heightened rates of violence across all genders.”
POLLUTION
Georgia Recorder
NE Georgia community ruffled over planned poultry processing plant’s potential for river pollution
May 5, 2025
“Agriculture is Georgia’s top industry, and broilers are the state’s top farm product.”
“But the mess that large-scale poultry farming causes can create tensions between residents and corporate owners. And that is playing out in a northeast Georgia community, where a proposed poultry rendering plant has residents up in arms about the potential fouling of the Broad River, a source of water and recreation for Royston and nearby communities.”
“And if Pilgrim’s Pride decides to bypass Franklin Springs as a site for its processing plant, the company says it’s sure to pop up somewhere else in Georgia’s chicken farm territory.”
POSTAL SERVICE
NOLA.com
Editorial: Federal officials should consider rural areas before cutting postal service
May 8, 2025
“Efforts to reform or privatize the United States Postal Service have been around for decades. But they've gained new traction under the Trump administration, which has openly mused about making big changes at an agency even older than the United States.”
“At first glance, some changes make a modicum of sense. Even as traditional mail has diminished in the internet age, the number of private delivery services, such as UPS, FedEx and Amazon, has proliferated. One of them, the argument goes, could deliver the mail more efficiently at lower cost to the taxpayer.”
“But that model breaks down in Louisiana's rural communities.”
PUBLIC LANDS
The Associated Press
House Republicans push to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in the West
May 7, 2025
“House Republicans added a provision to their sweeping tax cut package authorizing sales of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and environmentalists who called it a betrayal that could lead to drilling, mining and logging in sensitive areas.”
“Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee adopted the land sales proposal early Wednesday morning. The initial draft had not included it amid bipartisan opposition.”
“The parcels could be used for economic development, mining and infrastructure projects such as the expansion of an airport and a reservoir in Utah, according to local officials and plans for the areas.”
“Some sites would be considered for affordable housing, which is much needed in fast-growing parts of Nevada.”
SAFETY NET PROGRAMS
NPR
Medicaid payments barely keep hospital mental health units afloat. Federal cuts could sink them
May 8, 2025
At least eight “Iowa hospitals have stopped offering inpatient mental health care since 2007, forcing people in crisis to seek help at distant facilities.”
That number could get higher “if Congress slashes Medicaid funding. The joint federal-state health insurance covers an unusually large share of mental health patients, and hospital industry leaders say spending cuts could accelerate a decades-long wave of psychiatric unit closures.”
“The U.S. already faces a deep shortage of inpatient mental health services, many of which were reduced or eliminated by private hospitals and public institutions.”
Louisville Courier Journal
Gov. Andy Beshear says Medicaid cuts would be 'an attack on rural America'
May 6, 2025
“Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said potential Medicaid cuts could have devastating effects on rural communities in a press call with three other Democratic governors and a social welfare nonprofit.”
“Beshear joined Govs. Laura Kelly, Michelle Lujan Grisham and Josh Green, along with Protect Our Care Founder and Chair Leslie Dach, on the Tuesday call, where the group raised concerns about health care accessibility and costs as national lawmakers look for ways to reduce spending to help balance the cost of a massive tax-cut bill.”
“Beshear focused on the potential effects Medicaid cuts could have on rural areas in Kentucky and nationwide, saying any cuts could decrease access and impact jobs.”
Michigan Advance
Michigan Democrats call on U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett to listen to constituent concerns on Medicaid cuts
May 6, 2025
“As Congressional Republicans continue to mull federal funding cuts in support of President Donald Trump’s planned tax cuts, the Michigan Democratic Party held a roundtable in Lansing calling on U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) to stand against these proposals.”
“Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel and state Rep. Matt Longjohn (D-Portage) sat down with Tyjuan Thirdgill, the organizing manager for Reproductive Freedom for all, and Susan Anderson, an Okemos resident, to discuss the ways cuts to Medicaid would impact their families alongside Michigan residents.”
Longjohn said the cuts could “lead to the loss of rural health centers and federally qualified health centers which offer services to disadvantaged communities, with both types of facilities serving larger shares of individuals on Medicaid, making the program vital for covering the cost of patient care.”
Maine Beacon
Medicaid cuts could close four rural Maine hospitals
May 6, 2025
“Four of Maine’s 24 rural inpatient hospitals (or 17%) will be at immediate risk of closure if Republicans in Congress succeed in pushing through historic cuts to Medicaid.”
“Those closures, alongside other federal cuts, could eliminate essential health care access for people in rural areas.”
“Nearly one-third of rural hospitals nationwide are at risk of closure, with more than 300 in ‘immediate danger’ due to prolonged financial instability or dangerously low reserves.”
“Medicaid funding has long been a critical lifeline for these facilities, especially in rural areas where hospitals operate with thin margins and often serve as the sole provider of emergency, primary, and specialized care.”
“Nationally, rural hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act are 62% less likely to close.”
“Still, nearly 200 rural hospitals in expansion states remain in jeopardy, with many already cutting services such as obstetrics in an effort to stay open.”
Politico
Rural hospitals, insurers clash over MA
May 5, 2025
“In recent years, more people have been signing up for Medicare Advantage in rural America than ever before, just as more and more hospitals are refusing to accept the private plans.”
“Hospitals say insurers don’t pay enough and are quick to deny care, and the trend is making it harder to stay open amid the myriad financial challenges rural providers face in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic — which decimated staffing levels and patient volumes.”
“The divergence between hospitals and insurers makes it harder for older Americans to access already-limited care in rural America.”
“The private alternative to Medicare now captures nearly half of eligible enrollees in rural America.”
“To stem some of the growth’s financial impact, hospital groups are pushing Congress and the Trump administration to change how Medicare Advantage reimburses hospitals and reform insurers’ prior-authorization practices.”
Kaiser Family Foundation
Medicaid Covers at Least One in Five Hospital Inpatient Days in Nearly Every State
May 5, 2025
“Medicaid accounted for about one fifth (19%) of all spending on hospital care in 2023 and cuts to payments for care or loss of coverage could have implications for hospitals’ finances, the cost and quality of care, and people’s ability to access hospital services.”
“There could be consequences for the broader economy too given that hospitals are the sixth largest employer in the country across industry subsectors.”
An analysis detailed in the article found that “Medicaid covered at least one in five inpatient hospital days in 48 states and the District of Columbia (hereafter referred to as a state) in 2023.”
“Medicaid covered about four in ten (41% of) births nationally in 2023, almost half (47%) of births in rural areas, and at least 40% of births in 26 states according to prior KFF analysis.”
Some Republican lawmakers have been looking to reduce federal spending on Medicaid expansion, “which has helped improve hospital finances and may have especially benefited rural hospitals.”
“The hospital industry has been lobbying Congress against proposed cuts, arguing that reductions in Medicaid spending would threaten access to hospital care for all patients—not just Medicaid beneficiaries—and the National Rural Health Association has argued that Medicaid spending reductions would lead rural hospitals to reduce or eliminate the services they offer or close altogether.
The article has an interactive nationwide map with state-level data on the share of hospital inpatient days covered by Medicaid. New Mexico is far and away the state with the largest share.
Chief Healthcare Executive
Congress, Trump face vocal defenders of Medicaid: Catholic hospitals
May 5, 2025
“Nonprofit hospitals and for-profit hospitals alike have warned that cuts in Medicaid would leave more people unable to pay for coverage. They also warn that Medicaid cuts could deliver a body blow to safety net hospitals and rural hospitals.”
“But Catholic hospital leaders are providing some of the most passionate and vocal calls in defense of the Medicaid program.”
“The Catholic Health Association released a host of statements from Catholic healthcare leaders last week urging the administration and lawmakers to preserve funding for Medicaid.”
STUDENT DEBT RELIEF
The Wall Street Journal
Collections Are Coming for Millions of Student-Loan Borrowers
May 5, 2025
“The Trump administration is starting to put millions of defaulted student-loan borrowers into collections Monday and threatening to confiscate their wages, tax refunds and federal benefits.”
“There are some five million borrowers whose loans are in default, many of whom haven’t made regular payments since the pandemic. Millions more are on the cusp of default, according to the Education Department.”
Rural residents who attended college are more likely than their metro peers to carry burdensome student debt and even less likely to have a degree to show for it.
TARIFFS
The Washington Post
This U.S. manufacturer doesn’t mind Trump’s tariffs at all
May 4, 2025
The tariffs
“Some domestic manufacturers, like Excel Dryer, benefit from tariffs that make foreign competitors' products more expensive, enhancing their competitiveness and potentially opening new international markets.”
TOURISM AND RECREATION
Politico
‘We definitely are collateral damage’: Tourism industry roiled by Trump’s new world order
May 5, 2025
President Trump’s “repeated antagonization of key allies — including Canada and much of Europe — has roiled the American tourism industry.”
“And reports of tourists being detained while trying to enter the U.S. threaten to push even more would-be travelers from visiting.”
“The result: International arrivals, which had been increasing steadily since the pandemic and were projected by some to eclipse 2019 levels next year, now are spiraling.”
WILDFIRES
The Associated Press
Forest and park service worker cuts leave wildland firefighting crews short-staffed
May 8, 2025
“Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon.”
“The biggest issue they’re facing is a lack of communication from the federal government as the West faces ‘a pretty significant wildland fire season,’ Washington State Forester George Geissler said Thursday during a press conference hosted by Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Jeff Merkley of Oregon.”