Trump funding cuts ripple through rural America

[DigitalDrifter]

I wonder if this is what they voted for/ LOL!
Quiet as it's kept in Trump country..most red states depend on federal spending far more than blue states do--but..their tax base and infrastructure is not as robust. Like it or not, Blue states are where the money is.
While many blue states are able to step in with substitute programs..red states cannot, or will not, soften the blows.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/federal-funding-cuts-ripple-through-heart-trump-country-2025-03-29/

The phone rang over the whine of Trey Yates' butter churn. The person calling was polite, but the message was devastating: Mountaineer Food Bank was ending Yates' butter contract, due to the federal government's funding cuts.
The next day, President Donald Trump signed a declaration celebrating National Agriculture Day, praising farmers and food makers like Yates. But the canceled contract with the federally funded food bank, one of only two in West Virginia, had been a lifeline for Yates' business.

In that moment, Yates, 27, wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. Heart pounding, he called his father, John Yates, shocked that Trump's administration would take such action.
"Dad, they're trying to bankrupt me," he said. Yates, a registered independent, said he did not vote for Trump.
Along the winding back roads and Appalachian hollers of West Virginia, in a state where Trump won 70% of the votes cast in November, his administration's vow to cut back on government spending is being keenly felt.

Yates' lost sales stem from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cancellation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which was due to provide about $500 million this year to food banks.
Trump's administration also rolled out cuts to other federal funding that has kept small agriculture businesses like Yates' Greenbrier Dairy churning.
Orchard owner Natasha Zoe, a retired Marine, is waiting on grant funds to reimburse her for building a small cannery near the town of Alderson that will allow fruit farmers to make and sell syrups and juices.
And money that helped food banks and schools buy farmer Johnny Spangler's blueberries and popcorn in Lindside has been cut – after he scaled up plantings and bought a bigger truck to meet demand.
From grants from the USDA and the Department of Commerce, to funds from the Small Business Administration, an intricate web of economic support from Washington has for decades pumped money into rural America.

Much of it has now been frozen, cut back or eliminated – including at least $1.5 billion in USDA funds for schools and food banks.
"The federal government is the engine of money, while the states are the distributors of money," said James L. Perry, professor emeritus at Indiana University, who studies federal grant administration. "This has become more pronounced as the federal budget has grown."
The cuts now force states to come up with funding from their own budgets – or shutter programs altogether, Perry said. States like West Virginia – where more than half the $19.2 billion annual budget for fiscal 2025 relies on federal funds – are particularly hard-hit.

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The guy in your story might have to do something the rest of us have always had to do. Go out and find his own customers instead of relying on a government contract.

For instance. My uncle used to have a large dairy farm. Instead of lining up to sell his product to the government, he got a contract with Carnation.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

I don't think you understand the purpose behind the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.

Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program | Agricultural Marketing Service

The purpose of this program is to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency.

Supply chain resiliency. You know, you would think after all the issues within the supply chain due to Covid, programs that "maintain and improve supply chain resiliency" would be a priority. Egg prices anyone? And we have been down this road before, even before Covid, Trump's first tariffs had already smacked down soybean farmers and grain farmers, which are almost inevitably the same farmers, growing five crops in two years the goal.

But even from a simple market standpoint. The elimination of these small producers, many of whom depend on these government contracts to keep production going at a profitable scale, will only further consolidate a food supply chain that is already an oligopoly, entire market segments dominated by a few players, ironically, mostly foreign owned. The absolute lack of diversity, rather it is through domination of production, or lack of genetic diversity within a particular product, the banana the most famous example, we are reaching dangerous levels.

It really is ironic. The very people that believe in a "deep state", or that globalist are out to control the United States, have happily empowered a man that is further consolidating the power of the economic elite at an astonishing rate. Elon Musk and DOGE a screaming red flag, but it runs so much deeper. At this point, they are flaunting it, a fifty thousand dollar Rolex at a notorious El Salvadoran prison? El Salvador people. Those that forget the lessons of the past will be forced to relive them.

MAGA is a Robber Baron scam.
It appears that people have forgotten what a plutocrat is.
Trump is happy to remind them~

 

[Independent thinker]

I wonder if this is what they voted for/ LOL!
Quiet as it's kept in Trump country..most red states depend on federal spending far more than blue states do--but..their tax base and infrastructure is not as robust. Like it or not, Blue states are where the money is.
While many blue states are able to step in with substitute programs..red states cannot, or will not, soften the blows.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/federal-funding-cuts-ripple-through-heart-trump-country-2025-03-29/

The phone rang over the whine of Trey Yates' butter churn. The person calling was polite, but the message was devastating: Mountaineer Food Bank was ending Yates' butter contract, due to the federal government's funding cuts.
The next day, President Donald Trump signed a declaration celebrating National Agriculture Day, praising farmers and food makers like Yates. But the canceled contract with the federally funded food bank, one of only two in West Virginia, had been a lifeline for Yates' business.

In that moment, Yates, 27, wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. Heart pounding, he called his father, John Yates, shocked that Trump's administration would take such action.
"Dad, they're trying to bankrupt me," he said. Yates, a registered independent, said he did not vote for Trump.
Along the winding back roads and Appalachian hollers of West Virginia, in a state where Trump won 70% of the votes cast in November, his administration's vow to cut back on government spending is being keenly felt.

Yates' lost sales stem from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cancellation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which was due to provide about $500 million this year to food banks.
Trump's administration also rolled out cuts to other federal funding that has kept small agriculture businesses like Yates' Greenbrier Dairy churning.
Orchard owner Natasha Zoe, a retired Marine, is waiting on grant funds to reimburse her for building a small cannery near the town of Alderson that will allow fruit farmers to make and sell syrups and juices.
And money that helped food banks and schools buy farmer Johnny Spangler's blueberries and popcorn in Lindside has been cut – after he scaled up plantings and bought a bigger truck to meet demand.
From grants from the USDA and the Department of Commerce, to funds from the Small Business Administration, an intricate web of economic support from Washington has for decades pumped money into rural America.

Much of it has now been frozen, cut back or eliminated – including at least $1.5 billion in USDA funds for schools and food banks.
"The federal government is the engine of money, while the states are the distributors of money," said James L. Perry, professor emeritus at Indiana University, who studies federal grant administration. "This has become more pronounced as the federal budget has grown."
The cuts now force states to come up with funding from their own budgets – or shutter programs altogether, Perry said. States like West Virginia – where more than half the $19.2 billion annual budget for fiscal 2025 relies on federal funds – are particularly hard-hit.

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I think it's funny to watch you guys think that rural America would rather vote for Dem policies like taking everyone's guns away.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

I think it's funny to watch you guys think that rural America would rather vote for Dem policies like taking everyone's guns away.

Except, of course, taking everyone's guns away is not a Democratic plank. Rather it is a scare tactic promulgated by the NRA and right-wing types.
Most Democrats support the 2nd--with responsible controls.
Your ilk believe that ANY control is the 'slippery slope' to the complete disarming of the American people.

It is a lie~

 

[Dekster]

I wonder if this is what they voted for/ LOL!
Quiet as it's kept in Trump country..most red states depend on federal spending far more than blue states do--but..their tax base and infrastructure is not as robust. Like it or not, Blue states are where the money is.
While many blue states are able to step in with substitute programs..red states cannot, or will not, soften the blows.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/federal-funding-cuts-ripple-through-heart-trump-country-2025-03-29/

The phone rang over the whine of Trey Yates' butter churn. The person calling was polite, but the message was devastating: Mountaineer Food Bank was ending Yates' butter contract, due to the federal government's funding cuts.
The next day, President Donald Trump signed a declaration celebrating National Agriculture Day, praising farmers and food makers like Yates. But the canceled contract with the federally funded food bank, one of only two in West Virginia, had been a lifeline for Yates' business.

In that moment, Yates, 27, wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. Heart pounding, he called his father, John Yates, shocked that Trump's administration would take such action.
"Dad, they're trying to bankrupt me," he said. Yates, a registered independent, said he did not vote for Trump.
Along the winding back roads and Appalachian hollers of West Virginia, in a state where Trump won 70% of the votes cast in November, his administration's vow to cut back on government spending is being keenly felt.

Yates' lost sales stem from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cancellation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which was due to provide about $500 million this year to food banks.
Trump's administration also rolled out cuts to other federal funding that has kept small agriculture businesses like Yates' Greenbrier Dairy churning.
Orchard owner Natasha Zoe, a retired Marine, is waiting on grant funds to reimburse her for building a small cannery near the town of Alderson that will allow fruit farmers to make and sell syrups and juices.
And money that helped food banks and schools buy farmer Johnny Spangler's blueberries and popcorn in Lindside has been cut – after he scaled up plantings and bought a bigger truck to meet demand.
From grants from the USDA and the Department of Commerce, to funds from the Small Business Administration, an intricate web of economic support from Washington has for decades pumped money into rural America.

Much of it has now been frozen, cut back or eliminated – including at least $1.5 billion in USDA funds for schools and food banks.
"The federal government is the engine of money, while the states are the distributors of money," said James L. Perry, professor emeritus at Indiana University, who studies federal grant administration. "This has become more pronounced as the federal budget has grown."
The cuts now force states to come up with funding from their own budgets – or shutter programs altogether, Perry said. States like West Virginia – where more than half the $19.2 billion annual budget for fiscal 2025 relies on federal funds – are particularly hard-hit.

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The funds being cut was a rather recent programs just started within the last few years to "buy local" i.e. more expensive products. If people assumed it was going to be permanent, that was on them.

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

I wonder if this is what they voted for/ LOL!
Quiet as it's kept in Trump country..most red states depend on federal spending far more than blue states do--but..their tax base and infrastructure is not as robust. Like it or not, Blue states are where the money is.
While many blue states are able to step in with substitute programs..red states cannot, or will not, soften the blows.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/federal-funding-cuts-ripple-through-heart-trump-country-2025-03-29/

The phone rang over the whine of Trey Yates' butter churn. The person calling was polite, but the message was devastating: Mountaineer Food Bank was ending Yates' butter contract, due to the federal government's funding cuts.
The next day, President Donald Trump signed a declaration celebrating National Agriculture Day, praising farmers and food makers like Yates. But the canceled contract with the federally funded food bank, one of only two in West Virginia, had been a lifeline for Yates' business.

In that moment, Yates, 27, wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. Heart pounding, he called his father, John Yates, shocked that Trump's administration would take such action.
"Dad, they're trying to bankrupt me," he said. Yates, a registered independent, said he did not vote for Trump.
Along the winding back roads and Appalachian hollers of West Virginia, in a state where Trump won 70% of the votes cast in November, his administration's vow to cut back on government spending is being keenly felt.

Yates' lost sales stem from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cancellation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which was due to provide about $500 million this year to food banks.
Trump's administration also rolled out cuts to other federal funding that has kept small agriculture businesses like Yates' Greenbrier Dairy churning.
Orchard owner Natasha Zoe, a retired Marine, is waiting on grant funds to reimburse her for building a small cannery near the town of Alderson that will allow fruit farmers to make and sell syrups and juices.
And money that helped food banks and schools buy farmer Johnny Spangler's blueberries and popcorn in Lindside has been cut – after he scaled up plantings and bought a bigger truck to meet demand.
From grants from the USDA and the Department of Commerce, to funds from the Small Business Administration, an intricate web of economic support from Washington has for decades pumped money into rural America.

Much of it has now been frozen, cut back or eliminated – including at least $1.5 billion in USDA funds for schools and food banks.
"The federal government is the engine of money, while the states are the distributors of money," said James L. Perry, professor emeritus at Indiana University, who studies federal grant administration. "This has become more pronounced as the federal budget has grown."
The cuts now force states to come up with funding from their own budgets – or shutter programs altogether, Perry said. States like West Virginia – where more than half the $19.2 billion annual budget for fiscal 2025 relies on federal funds – are particularly hard-hit.

View attachment 1094662

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

Except, of course, taking everyone's guns away is not a Democratic plank. Rather it is a scare tactic promulgated by the NRA and right-wing types.
Most Democrats support the 2nd--with responsible controls.
Your ilk believe that ANY control is the 'slippery slope' to the complete disarming of the American people.

It is a lie~

Communist fuckers suk, and are the most dishonest bitches ever
Right..it's not a 'democrat" plank, it's a Marxist plank. They took over the Democrat party long ago.

 

[Independent thinker]

Except, of course, taking everyone's guns away is not a Democratic plank. Rather it is a scare tactic promulgated by the NRA and right-wing types.
Most Democrats support the 2nd--with responsible controls.
Your ilk believe that ANY control is the 'slippery slope' to the complete disarming of the American people.

It is a lie~

I stand by my statement. No matter how much you dislike Trump it can never be enough for someone on the right to start voting for the lunatic party.

 

[Delldude]

While many blue states are able to step in with substitute programs..red states cannot, or will not, soften the blows.

How many Red states were previously governed by little Boy Blue?

 

[Tommy Tainant]

MAGA loves big business over small and local. Its easier to manage.

 

[kyzr]

MAGA loves big business over small and local. Its easier to manage.

You have no clue. Small businesses make up 75% of US employment. Government makes up much of the rest.

 

[Delldude]

MAGA loves big business over small and local. Its easier to manage.

Can't have one without the other.

 

[SweetTea]

Except, of course, taking everyone's guns away is not a Democratic plank. Rather it is a scare tactic promulgated by the NRA and right-wing types.
Most Democrats support the 2nd--with responsible controls.
Your ilk believe that ANY control is the 'slippery slope' to the complete disarming of the American people.

It is a lie~

So a scare tactic like Republicans want to take away social security? Kind of like that?

 

[Delldude]

So a scare tactic like Republicans want to take away social security? Kind of like that?

Who sings that mantra?

 

[SweetTea]

Who sings that mantra?

Democrats

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

So a scare tactic like Republicans want to take away social security? Kind of like that?

Nope. As it is clear to all that SS IS on the chopping block--not like that at all~

 

[SweetTea]

Nope. As it is clear to all that SS IS on the chopping block--not like that at all~

No it isn't. That is only clear to brainwashed, Maddow watchers.