Energy
The Trump administration froze $54 million in funding for electric-vehicle chargers in Arkansas.
Social Security
The Trump administration closed four Social Security Administration offices in Arkansas.
Veterans
The Trump administration fired staff at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks
September 2025: The Trump Administration Cut Funding For An Arkansas Organization That Helps Unhoused People Get Out Of Poverty. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Words written in black and blue marker detail Bethlehem's plans to provide its residence with dental, vision and mental health care, as well as help beating addiction -- at no cost to them -- while they work to build their financial health with a job. Their mission hit a speed bump this year, however, when the organization lost 40% of its budget. That's a result of Bethlehem no longer receiving any funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 'They no longer fund transitional housing,' Prince said. 'So this year marks the first year that we have not received any HUD funding.'" [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/7/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled USDA Program That Provided Produce From Local Farmers To Over 150,000 Arkansas Families. According to the Arkansas Times, “For about two years, the Little Rock-based nonprofit Well Fed has been delivering boxes of locally grown fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products every month to 800 low-income families across Central Arkansas. Within the next few months, unless another funding source is secured, the contents of those boxes could dramatically change. The families will continue to get commodities, like beans and canned goods and things like that; Well Fed Executive Director Joshua Harris said. But this is their only source of fruit and vegetables, meat and eggs, and eggs are now like $7 a dozen and meat can cost about $15. Just that alone is a huge economic impact. Well Fed, along with other nonprofit organizations that address food insecurity in Arkansas, participates in the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, or LFPA, a federally-funded initiative operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. The program provides funding for the organizations to purchase fresh produce, meat and dairy products from small-scale farmers to distribute to individuals or families in need. There are approximately 150,000 families in Arkansas who receive food each month via the federally funded program, according to the Arkansas Department of Education, which manages the initiative.” [Arkansas Times, 3/17/25]
October 2025: Trump’s Tariff Wars Drove Up Costs And Cut Down Demand For Arkansas Farmers, With As Many As 40 Percent Saying They Are Likely To Leave Agriculture This Year Without Aid. According to the Arkansas Advocate, "Arkansas lawmakers expressed concern about the state of the agriculture industry Friday and agreed to urge the federal government to provide financial aid to keep farmers afloat. Commodity crop farmers are facing one of their worst periods in decades as a result of skyrocketing production costs and stagnant demand. Agriculture industry leaders told lawmakers last month in Stuttgart that 25% to 40% of farmers are likely to leave the industry after this season unless they receive aid. Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, chairs the House Agriculture subcommittee that met in Stuttgart and has worked as a farmer herself. She said Friday during the Arkansas Legislative Council’s monthly meeting that there is 'a tsunami coming' for Arkansas farmers. 'One out of every three farms shutting down in the state of Arkansas is going to affect that budget that’s sitting there in front of you,' she told Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson. 'And if we don’t start looking and forecasting out for that just in case the tsunami is coming, then we are failing the people of Arkansas.'" [Arkansas Advocate, 10/17/25]
Arkansas Times: “There’s No Doubt Arkansas Is Getting Pummeled” By Cuts. According to the Arkansas Times, “Details and solid numbers are hard to come by, but there’s no doubt Arkansas is getting pummeled as Presidents Donald Trump and Elon Musk sacrifice thousands of federal jobs at the altar of ‘government efficiency.’ In Hot Springs, the National Park Visitor Center and the pristinely preserved Fordyce Bathhouse will no longer be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The buildings had been open to visitors seven days a week. The changed hours come as Hot Springs rolls through its busy tourist season, with horses running at Oaklawn through the spring.” [Arkansas Times, 2/26/25]
February 2025: Hot Springs National Park Cut Hours At The Fordyce Bathhouse Due To Staffing Cuts. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Local and national trade groups are expressing concern for tourism after thousands of federal employees with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service were fired earlier this month. The concern was compounded Tuesday afternoon as Hot Springs National Park announced it would be cutting the hours the Fordyce Bathhouse is open beginning next month, closing the popular tourist attraction two days a week. The visitor center and museum inside the bath house, normally open daily, will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting March 3, a news release said. Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday, until further notice. [...] The reduction in hours at the Fordyce Bathhouse was directly related to staff that had been fired, an official with the National Park Service that had knowledge of the situation but was unauthorized to speak publicly about it said, commenting to The Sentinel-Record on condition of anonymity.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/26/25]
February 2025: Four Staffers At The Buffalo National River Lost Their Jobs. According to the Arkansas Times, “It’s a problem across the country, and in other parts of Arkansas, too. The Buffalo National River lost four staff members to the cuts this month as the Trump administration whittled thousands from National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service payrolls. And this week, as First Gentleman Bryan Sanders presided over a tourism conference hyping outdoor recreation in The Natural State, the Buffalo Point Ranger Station shut down indefinitely.” [Arkansas Times, 2/26/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration NIH Cuts Could Cost Arkansas Universities $12 Million In Scientific Research Funding. According to Camden News, "Arkansas research institutions stand to lose millions in research funding due to cuts planned by the administration of President Donald Trump, which were announced Friday night by the National Institutes of Health but are now the subject of multiple lawsuits. [...] The news 'about capping a portion of research awards designated for indirect costs will have a significant impact on the core research mission the University of Arkansas System prioritizes to make a tangible difference in the health and well-being of Arkansans,' said UA System President Jay Silveria. 'While we are still fully assessing the possible effects of this policy change, we have identified potential losses at three institutions -- the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) -- that total roughly $12 million in funding annually for critical research.' But the cuts -- should they take effect -- would impact 'a wide variety of research aimed at preventing or finding treatments for such illnesses as ovarian cancer, substance-use disorder, obesity, musculoskeletal disease, and diabetes,' Taylor said. [...] The cuts would also affect 'work to address maternal and infant health, autism, and developmental disabilities, as well as wellness education and outreach to children and families across the state.'" [Camden News, 2/12/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut $9.6 Million In Funding To Help Improve Rural Education In Arkansas. According to KATV, "Another grant DOGE terminated was $9.6 million to the Arkansas Public School Resource Center for a program promoting educator effectiveness in rural Arkansas (PEER 2.0). It's unknown at this time how the cut will affect the program." [KATV, 3/26/25]
October 2025: Trump’s Government Shutdown Forced Arkansas To Furlough Employees And Threatened The State’s Education Department. According to the Arkansas Advocate, "Arkansas’ higher education institutions and the state’s education department have not been immediately impacted by the government shutdown, but officials said they’re preparing to make adjustments as needed. Payroll for some employees at the University of Arkansas’ Fayetteville campus may be affected by the shutdown, but any furloughs would pertain to federal employees or positions that are federally funded with no alternative funding source available, Director of Media Relations and Core Communications John Thomas said Monday. 'Our units have been asked to provide alternate university projects and funding options (other than state funding which may not be used for this purpose) for employees in positions tied to active federal research grants ahead of the next payroll deadline, so at this time we do not plan to furlough employees,' Thomas said in an email. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders directed state agencies last week to prepare to furlough employees fully or partially funded by federal money ahead of the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. Arkansas state agencies furloughed nearly 250 employees last week as a result of the federal government shutting down, the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette reported Monday." [Arkansas Advocate, 10/7/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Froze $54 Million In Funding For EV Chargers In Arkansas. According to KATV News, "The Trump administration is freezing a $5 billion program to build electric vehicle chargers along major highways across the U.S., impacting projects right here in Arkansas. The program allocated funds to state EVID programs, which include more than 54 million dollars in grant funding for projects in Arkansas. In response, ARDOT, which facilitates what companies receive funding to build the projects, rescinded their request for proposals and because of this, the 19 contracts already awarded for EV charging ports set to go along priority locations on major interstates will not be able to go forward. Some of those proposed locations included Faulkner, Jefferson, Hot Spring, and Benton counties." [KATV News, 2/20/25]
October 2025: Trump’s Government Shutdown Threatened SNAP Funding And Food Security In Arkansas. According to Arkansas Advocate, "November is the busiest time of year at Arkansas Foodbank, and the federal government shutdown threatens to create additional need for the nonprofit’s services from the state’s SNAP recipients and federal employees. The shutdown brings uncertainty about how long food safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can continue paying out benefits to those enrolled across the U.S. In Arkansas, which has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country, food banks like Northwest Arkansas Food Bank are preparing for an expected surge in demand if the shutdown isn’t resolved in short order. 'If they don’t come to an agreement to where SNAP continues to get funded, then those people who are on SNAP are going to have to go someplace else to find food,' CEO Kent Eikenberry said. 'And that’s going to be us.' 'The entire food ecosystem, in terms of hunger relief, is impacted by a government shutdown,' said Claire Tiffin, the director of community engagement for Arkansas Foodbank." [Arkansas Advocate, 10/9/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration Did Not Pay Disability Rights Arkansas What It Was Owed, Forcing It To Pause Disability Rights Services. According to Mother Jones, “State organizations that advocate for disabled residents in New Jersey and Arkansas announced this week that they will have to limit their work due to not receiving the full federal funds they are owed by the US federal government. Each state, territory, and Washington, DC, has a protection and advocacy agency to support the rights of disabled people, including providing one-on-one legal services. These agencies were created by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 1975, which means their work is federally mandated. It’s currently unclear whether all protection and advocacy agencies have been impacted by shortages in federal funds. [...] In a Facebook post, Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA) announced that it won’t be accepting new cases as of Friday, with exceptions for a few types of cases, due to not receiving all its federal funds.” [Mother Jones, 4/26/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded $179 Million In Funding For Arkansas Health Services Including Substance Abuse And Mental Health Program. According to KATV, "The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced the termination of at least $179 million in federal grants to the Arkansas Departments of Health, Human Services, and Education. Nationwide, roughly $11 billion-worth of grants earmarked for health departments is being pulled back by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [...] 'The Arkansas Department of Human Services has received notice that federal funds that supported temporary COVID activities through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) have been canceled effective March 24, 2025. We have confirmed that the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant ARPA and the Mental Health Block Grant ARPA have been canceled, and that temporary funds that supported several programs in these areas are no longer available,' said DHS spokesman Gavin Lesnick in a statement to KATV.” [KATV, 3/26/25]
February 2025: Arkansas Children’s Hospital President Warned Trump NIH Cuts “Poses A Significant Setback For The Health And Well-Being Of Arkansas.” According to Camden News, "Arkansas Children's Hospital is the second-largest recipient of NIH funding in the state ($20.3 million in 2024), 'which accounts for nearly 40% of our overall research funding,' research paramount in 'establishing nationally leading clinical and research programs at Arkansas Children's,' Mary Doderer, Arkansas Children's president & CEO, shared in a message to staff Monday. 'Our health system is home to more than 210 pediatric researchers whose expertise and experience span the breadth of medical disciplines, [and] their most recent NIH funding in lymphatic malformations, cystic fibrosis, food allergy, respiratory infections, childhood obesity, child development and pediatric translational research have contributed to a broader national effort of discovery.' The planned cut 'deals a direct blow to our ability to conduct critical research and poses a significant setback for the health and well-being of Arkansas' and the nation's children,' Doderer noted. 'Research saves children's lives; at best, the loss of this funding will slow all research progress, [but], more likely, reduced funding for infrastructure and administrative necessities like laboratories, patient clinical research units, imaging equipment, data software and storage -- as well as the people who support these research operations -- means research simply will not happen.' 'The cuts are concerning, [so] we will ardently advocate against' them, she added. 'Just last week, I visited with our congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., and I was encouraged by our conversations; they know the intricacies of pediatric healthcare and the costs associated with progress.'" [Camden News, 2/12/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Closed Four Social Security Offices In Arkansas. According to ABC27, "Here’s the latest list of Social Security Administration offices that have been closed or are in the process of being closed by DOGE: [...] Arkansas - Batesville, Forrest City, Jonesboro, Texarkana" [ABC27, 3/7/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Workers At Arkansas VA Center. According to KUAR, "Spokespeople at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks emailed the Advocate similar statements late last week confirming they had 'dismissed a small number of probationary staff,' but couldn’t discuss specific personnel matters due to privacy concerns." [KUAR, 2/24/25]