Agriculture
The Trump administration cut funding for food banks and their partnerships with local farmers, leaving both groups with budget shortfalls across Michigan. From Grand Rapids to Detroit and all the way up to Marquette, Michigan farmers and food banks are going without the help they need from the government to make it through the year.
Economy
The Trump administration closed Michigan’s only Bureau of Indian Affairs office, creating confusion and causing economic stress in the state. All 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan are left without the support they need for everything from fishing licenses to mortgages.
Public Safety
The Trump administration cut staff at NOAA’s Ann Arbor office by 15 percent and blocked $30 million in funding for the Michigan state police and environmental agencies, with $27 million of that funding in disaster preparedness and recovery grants. This year, Michiganders may be caught by surprise when blizzards or tornadoes roll through, then left without support from the federal government as they try to recover.
Veterans
The Trump administration has fired U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employees as well as veterans themselves across Michigan. Already, Detroit VA Union Leader Benjamin Mahan has said that surgeries are being delayed and wait lists are skyrocketing, while physical rehabilitation appointments for injured veterans were canceled in Detroit. “The vets they promised to give care are not getting it,” said Mahan.
March 2025: The Trump Administration Froze Funding And Fired Employees That Helped Farmers, Cities, And Food Banks. According to The Detroit News, "Funding cuts, grant freezes and staff layoffs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have led to cancellations or delays of Michigan food, farming and conservation projects, officials and project managers said, opening up another front in the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the federal government. Some Michigan farmers haven't received promised reimbursements for the cost of planting soil-saving cover crops. A $25 million contract to protect farmland in southern Michigan faces an uncertain future. And a recently hired USDA engineer in west Michigan was laid off - she's now unable to help design ditches, livestock pens and watershed projects for landowners. Tree-planting projects are on hold in cities across Michigan, and funding for a statewide agricultural pest management program is delayed. Food bank leaders are afraid they'll lose funding they are planning on." [Detroit News, 3/1/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut Future Funding For USDA Program That Provided Local Produce For Meals On Wheels In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Area. According to WZZM, "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has ended both the expansion of the Local Food For Schools (LFS) program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, which supported schools and food banks with food purchases. Following Tuesday's announcement by the USDA to cut the two federal programs, AgeWell Services of West Michigan is raising concern about how this will impact their organization. 'Good food is medicine so if we don't pay particular attention to those things, it is a ripple effect,' said Vanderstelt. 'We are extremely concerned about what happens as this money is zeroed out in the budget. Everyone from cradle to grave, whether you're accessing a food pantry, or a child is getting fresh asparagus from Golden Heart up in Hart, it's going to make a difference all the way around,' said Vanderstelt. AgeWell provides services to seniors and operates Meals On Wheels, which delivers over a thousand meals daily along the lakeshore. While their 2025 grants are secured, Executive Director Kris Vanderstelt is concerned about the future. 'We have to make sure that everyone can access that food in certain communities, they do not have the ability to access a grocery store close to them. They live in food deserts. The transportation is a constant issue for food access,' said Vanderstelt.” [WZZM, 3/12/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Froze Funds That Helped Farmers Improve Soil Health Through Cover Cropping. According to Spartan Newsroom, "Goldenberg, of the Michigan Climate Smart Farms Project, said she worries federal funding cuts by the Trump administration will further discourage farmers from adopting environmentally friendly solutions like cover cropping. Her project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities grants program. It hasn’t received payments since Jan. 20. 'If that money is going away, how do we not lose that effort? How do we not disenfranchise our farmers who we have talked into taking this operational risk with the promise that we would support them for a couple of years?' Goldenberg said. " [Spartan Newsroom, 2/21/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Initiated A Hiring Freeze For Michigan's National Parks, Which May Put Tourism And Public Safety At Risk. According to Bridge Michigan, "Michigan national park officials can't prepare to hire summer workers, and planned maintenance projects for an iconic hiking trail system may be on hold because of new spending and hiring freezes under President Donald Trump. Observers say moves by the administration could limit summer services at national forests and lakeshores like Sleeping Bear Dunes, which typically hires between 100 and 125 seasonal workers for a park that attracts more than 1 million visitors to the Lake Michigan beach area around Empire." [Bridge Michigan, 2/10/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Threatened To Repeal Electric Vehicle Tax Credits, Which Ford's CEO Said Would Lead To Layoffs. According to The Detroit News, "Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley on Tuesday warned that if the federal government under President Donald Trump repeals provisions of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act like the electric vehicle battery production tax credits, the company could resort to layoffs.... 'We've already sunk capital - even though we've rationalized it - in battery production and assembly plants all through Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee,' Farley said during a fireside chat covering the 'cost and chaos' of the Trump administration's tariffs approach, Ford's cost structure and more at the Wolfe Research Auto, Auto Tech and Semiconductor Conference. 'And many of those jobs will be at risk if the IRA is repealed.'" [The Detroit News, 2/12/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Closed Michigan’s Only Bureau Of Indian Affairs Office, Which Was Likely To Negatively Impact Tribal Economic Activity. According to MLive, "Tribal leaders say the surprise closure of a federal office which manages Indigenous affairs in Michigan is causing widespread confusion and is likely to cause economic stress for tribal members across the state. The Trump administration is closing the state’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office in Sault Ste. Marie, which helps coordinate everything from commercial fishing licenses to mortgages for all 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan. The closure leaves Michigan without a BIA office closer than Minneapolis, Minn. Satellite offices serving the Western U.P. in Baraga and Ashland, Wis., are also closing." [MLive, 3/6/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Cut Millions Of Dollars Of NIH Funding For Michigan Universities And Hospitals. According to Bridge Michigan, "Michigan universities and hospitals could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding because of a change in policy at the National Institutes of Health.... In 2024, U-M received $734 million in NIH grants supporting more than 2,700 separate projects and 4,125 faculty, post-doctoral and graduate students. MSU and Henry Ford-MSU Health Science received a total of $110 million in 2024; Wayne State, $73 million; Oakland University, $4.7 million; Michigan Technological University, $4.3 million; Western Michigan and its medical school, $2.5 million; and Central Michigan University, $1.9 million." [Bridge Michigan, 2/10/25]
March 2025: Elk Rapids Library Director Stated “This Is Going To Impact Accessibility For The Whole State And Region” After Trump Administration Executive Order Called For Reduction To Federal Agency That Supported Libraries And Museums. According to WWTV, "Libraries across the county, including ones here in northern Michigan, say they’ll soon feel the impact from the latest round of cuts to federal agencies. President Trump recently signed an executive order defunding the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The cuts are part of an ongoing effort by the Trump Administration to eliminate parts of the government they feel are unnecessary, but local libraries say the loss in funding will have a serious impact. 'So, this is much bigger than just our small community. This is going to impact accessibility for the whole state and the region,' says Pam Williams, Director of the Elk Rapids District Library, 'If you aren’t part of a college university library, where are you going to get the research that you need?'” [WWTV, 3/18/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded Up To $40 Million In Reimbursement Funding For Michigan Schools. According to the Detroit News, "More than two dozen Michigan school districts face the loss of nearly $42 million in reimbursement for federal pandemic relief funds after the U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon rescinded a previously set deadline. [...] McMahon wrote that the extended deadline 'was not justified' and that states and school districts 'have had ample time to liquidate obligations,' according to a copy of the letter obtained by Education Week. [...] Twenty-seven districts across the state have preapproved financial obligations that met criteria set by the U.S. Department of Education for extending the districts’ deadlines to request reimbursement of these funds. Instead, Secretary McMahon and the Trump Administration abruptly withdrew approval. These funds were approved to be spent on projects including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, boilers, and windows.' " [Detroit News, 3/31/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Slashed 90% Of Michigan Nonprofit’s Budget That Supports Local History And Cultural Programs. According to WNMU-FM, "The Department of Government Efficiency - or DOGE – has terminated and rescinded all funding to Michigan Humanities, one of the 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jennifer Rupp, president and CEO of Michigan Humanities, says the cuts will be devastating, quote – 'veterans, high school students, libraries, museums and other community organizations will not receive funding for services our communities depend on.' – end quote Michigan Humanities has suspended all grant opportunities and programs. The rescinded federal grants total over $900,000 or 90% of the organization’s budget. Since 2020, MH has awarded over 1,100 grants to organizations for public humanities work in all 83 counties— impacting over 11 million people. It is the only organization in the state that provides free, accessible and inclusive humanities programming across all of Michigan." [WNMU-FM, 4/7/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Reportedly Targeted $19 Million Grant To Kalamazoo County To Improve Energy Efficiency And Train 150 Skilled Workers. According to MLive, "A nearly $19 million grant previously approved for Kalamazoo County is on a list of possible cuts, according to a letter released by U.S. senators. The program aims to improve energy efficiency and improve air quality in housing stock in Kalamazoo. Now, the future of the program is in question. The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners accepted the Environmental Protection Agency community change grant for $18.9 million on Dec. 17, 2024. County leaders celebrated the expected windfall for the community. The county said it has not received any official termination letter related to the grant funding, but officials are monitoring the situation closely, as some other places around the state received such notices." [MLive, 3/29/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Froze $46 Million Of Funding For Detroit-Area Environmental Justice Projects. According to Bridge Michigan, "Since taking office in January, Trump has laid off nearly 200 employees of environmental justice programs at the Environmental Protection Agency and froze billions of dollars for environmental justice efforts, including $46.2 million for five initiatives in Detroit to build resilience hubs, clean ports and conduct pollution monitoring." [Bridge Michigan, 2/14/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Fired U.S. Forest Service Employees Across Michigan. According to Mlive, "Amanda Mae Downey has found it difficult to fully explain to her 8-year-old daughter why she lost her job with the U.S. Forest Service this weekend. But the girl does understand who gave the order. '’Why did the president fire you, Mommy?’' she asked.... She was among dozens, potentially hundreds, of federal workers in Michigan across multiple agencies fired in what union leaders are calling an illegal nationwide termination of civil servants who were notified that their firing was performance-based despite many having recent positive reviews." [MLive, 2/19/25]
February 2025: The Trump Administration Fired EPA Employees Who Protected Clean Air And Drinking Water In Michigan. According to Mlive, "The Trump administration’s purge of federal workers at an Environmental Protection Agency office in Chicago included a half dozen attorneys who bring enforcement cases against polluters and staff who mobilize rapidly to respond to hazardous spills and environmental disasters, according to labor leaders. The cuts may imperil the EPA’s ability to protect drinking water, safeguard air quality and clean up toxic sites in Michigan, part of a five-state region headquartered in Illinois, some current and former agency employees say." [Mlive, 2/23/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Claimed To Cut Roughly $390 Million In Funding To Michigan’s Public Health Agencies. According to Michigan Public, "More than $390 million in federal grants to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services appears to have been abruptly discontinued this week, according to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website. The site, which has been riddled with major inaccuracies and overinflated numbers in the past, says the cuts were from grants administered by the federal Health and Human Services department, but gives no specifics as to which state programs the grants covered. They’re presumably part of the more than $11 billion in HHS grant cuts reported this week, from funding Congress authorized for state public health efforts during the COVID pandemic. But states have also been able to use the remaining money in those grants (which were set to expire late this year) for other public health work, including programs on infectious disease, mental health, and addiction services. About $1 billion of the national cuts to states’ funding were made by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which is part of HHS." [Michigan Public, 3/28/25]
March 2025: Leader Of NOAA Office In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Said Trump Administration Policies Reduced Staffing By Roughly 15%, Jeopardizing Forecasting Ability. According to MLive, "At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, AFGE Local 3908 President David Wright, said the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor lost 15 to 12 percent of its staff between layoffs and buyouts. The cuts jeopardize NOAA’s ability to measure meteorological and lake level conditions used in weather forecasting and relied on by the shipping industry, Wright said. Staffing-wise, 'we are one deep in a lot of areas.'" [MLive, 3/10/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Continued To Block $30 Million In Funding For Michigan Police And Environmental Agencies Despite Court Order. According to MLive, "The Trump administration continues to block access to millions in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funding for the state of Michigan, the state attorney general’s office claims. In a March 4 release, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said the state is unable to access approximately $30 million in FEMA funding going toward the state police and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). The coalition says the federal government continues to block grant money to states in violation of court orders. On Jan. 31, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island blocked a sweeping freeze on trillions in grants and loans paused for ideological review of their alignment with Trump’s agenda." [MLive, 3/5/25]
March 2025: Detroit, Michigan, VA Union President Stated “You Can’t Have Surgery” After Trump Layoffs And Spending Cuts Have Paralyzed Agency Services. According to MLive, "At the Department of Veterans Affairs, patient scheduling and transportation services are in disarray, wait lists are skyrocketing and appointments for critical care are being pushed back months due to loss of office support staff. 'You can’t have surgery,' said Benjamin Mahan, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 933, which represents federal workers at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit. 'The vets they promised to give care to are not getting it,' Mahan said. 'You can’t get those services if there’s nobody there to clean those instruments.'" [MLive, 3/10/25]
March 2025: Ann Arbor, Michigan, VA Union Leader Stated Trump-Related Firings And Resignations Meant Veterans Were Missing Appointments Due To Short-Staffing. According to MLive, "Robert Malosh from AFGE Local 2092 said the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Healthcare System has lost 21 employees to firing or resignation. Mechanics, electricians, receptionists, administrators, security and transportation assistants are gone. The loss of transportation assistants means 'veterans are not able to be seen, or they are missing their scheduled appointment,' Malosh said. Additionally, losing program support specialists and receptionists 'takes time away from nurses and doctors.'" [MLive, 3/10/25]
March 2025: Detroit, Michigan, VA Hospital Was Forced To Cancel Some Physical Rehabilitation Appointments For Veterans After Trump Layoffs. According to The Wall Street Journal, “One VA hospital in Detroit canceled programs meant to improve patients’ stability and range of motion after the firings of probationary workers, including Kara Oliver, a 33-year-old Navy veteran leading classes and monitoring participants’ health and progress.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/17/25]
March 2025: Dozens Of Michigan VA Workers Have Been Fired By The Trump Administration Including Roughly 10 At Battle Creek, Michigan, Medical Center. According to WWMT, "In recent weeks, thousands of of workers at Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers have lost their jobs, including dozens in Michigan. The job cuts stem from President Trump's efforts to reduce federal government spending, and make agencies more efficient, effective and responsive to the American people.. Kenny Cheek, president of AFGE local 1629, the union representing VA workers, told News Channel 3 that over the past few weeks, his phone has been ringing nonstop. [...] At the Battle Creek VA Medical Center, nearly 10 employees have been let go by the Department of Veteran Affairs in a matter of weeks. Nationally, that number has climbed to 2,400 employees." [WWMT, 3/4/25]
February 2025: Four Michigan-Based Veterans Who Were Laid Off From The VA Expressed Their Frustration With The Trump Administration's Mass Layoffs At The Agency.
February 2025: AGFE Said 68 Employees At Detroit And Ann Arbor, Michigan, VA Hospitals Were Fired By The Trump Administration. According to the Detroit News, "About 70 people marched outside the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center on John R, carrying signs decrying the layoffs by Trump, a Republican, and technology executive Elon Musk, a senior adviser to the president who is spearheading the effort to downsize the government. Joining the demonstrators was U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, who represent the VA hospital where employee layoffs occurred. About 2,400 VA employees have been fired, 68 of whom worked at the Detroit and Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs hospitals, officials with the American Federation of Governmental Employees union said. The affected positions include individuals involved in security, transportation services, veteran outreach and those responsible for cleaning and sterilizing surgical equipment." [Detroit News, 2/28/25]
February 2025: Michigan Marine Veteran VA Worker Was Fired By Trump Administration After Starting Job Two Months Prior. According to NBC News, "Marine veteran Andrew Lennox, 35, had been working for the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System in Michigan for about two months before he was laid off through an email on Feb. 13. 'I checked my government phone, and I was like, I got fired,' he said, adding that he burst out laughing in disbelief. Lennox said he had felt alone after leaving the military. But, he said, the job gave him a new sense of community, full of people he understood and felt understood by. 'It was something that made me proud,' he said. 'I was being able to serve again.'" [NBC News, 2/21/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Marine Veteran In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Working At The VA. According to WZZM, "Andrew Lennox, a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, began a career with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Ann Arbor as an administrative officer in their primary care department. He described his decade in the military as 'the greatest job' he ever had. After deciding to begin a new chapter of his life to focus on starting a family, he began working in the private sector. However, he said he still had the desire to continue serving his country. [...] Lennox said he was two months into his probational period, when he received a letter on the evening of Feb. 13, which read in part: 'The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.' He says the letter was identical to the ones sent to many of his colleagues and fellow federal employees as thousands of federal employees were terminated from their positions. The mass layoffs have come as the Department of Government Efficiency seeks to reduce the federal workforce. The terminations have been targeting probationary employees. [...] "Lennox however, fears that the reduction of these employees will negatively impact the care and services veterans depend on, and said he was left unnerved by the manner of their dismissal. 'If you want to lay me off as an in a reduction of force, please do that, but give us the time to prepare for a proper transition so that the veterans don't suffer from this,' Lennox said.” [WZZM, 2/20/25]