Agriculture
The Trump administration cut funding for schools and food banks and their partnerships with local farmers, leaving all three groups with budget shortfalls across Mississippi. From Jackson, up to Tupelo, and down to Gulfport, Mississippi farmers, schools and food banks are going without the help they need from the government to make it through the year.
Social Security
The Trump administration closed three Social Security Administration offices in Mississippi. Advocates have said that closing regional offices makes it more difficult for people to resolve issues with their Social Security benefits, and, if the administration goes through with their plan to require in-person visits for ID verification, will create extra travel requirements and longer wait times for those in-person appointments.
April 2025: Trump Administration USDA Cuts Left Mississippi Food Bank With Empty Shelves. According to WLBT, "This organization is not the only one impacted by recent cuts, after the announcement last month from the U.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $1 billion in cuts which will greatly affect Food Banks across the country. The Mississippi Food Network CEO, Charles Beady, let 3 On Your Side walk through their warehouse, which is usually completely full, but right now, many shelves are empty due to these cuts. 'Mississippi is, statistically speaking, the hungriest state in the nation. Over 600,000 people of our fellow citizens go to bed in our great state each night either hungry or not knowing how or when they are going to get their next meal. So, if the food doesn’t come to us, we can’t get it to them so more hunger,' Beady said. For Rockoff though, he now fears for the future of these programs and organizations, and he’s calling on you to make your voices heard if you don’t agree with these cuts." [WLBT, 4/3/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Terminated $6 Million Program To Help Mississippi Food Banks Purchase Produce From Local Farmers To Address “The Worst Hunger Problem In America.” According to the Clarion-Ledger, "'The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) is partnering with the three Feeding America affiliated food banks that together service all 82 counties in the state of Mississippi,' according to information from the USDA. The Magnolia State has 'the worst hunger problem in America,' according to the Mississippi Food Network. About one in six people don't have enough to eat, and about one child in five goes to bed hungry nightly. According to USDA awards, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture received more than $6.8 million for LFP and LFPA Plus awards. About $2.8 million was regular program funding, and $4 million came from Plus funds, which was a program expansion in 2022. The program worked with 50 producers, and 80% of those were underserved, according to the most recent award information. The food purchased was valued at $3.2 million." [Clarion-Ledger, 3/12/25]
March 2025: Greenville Food Bank Warned Trump USDA Cuts Were “Going To Hurt Even More” Because Of Mississippi’s Hunger Program. According to WFXW, "For years, Hearty Helpings has relied on USDA funding to keep shelves stocked with fresh foods. But, with the agency ending two programs—the Local Food for schools and local food purchase assistance programs—Pandora Redmon and Rita Styles say it's bound to hurt a lot of people. 'it’s going to hurt even more because a community or state that was already suffering with less especially with our children, school meals that’s going to be an issue,' said Pandora Redmon. 'For those who do receive it, I think that’s going to put a big dent in the things that can have or the resources to help,' said Rita Styles." [WFXW, 3/13/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Fired Every Staffer In Office That Manages Program Helping Mississippi Residents Pay Their Heating And Cooling Bill. According to the Hattiesburg American, "The entire staff of a federal agency that helps the poor and economically struggling pay their light bills was laid off this week. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps people pay for energy based on income and need and helps millions of Americans with heat and cooling costs. About 10,000 people were fired from the Department of Health and Human Services. The move, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was in line with plans to cut government spending touted by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency. The mass firing hit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Food and Drug Administration; and the National Institutes of Health. [...] The Mississippi Department of Human Services manages the program in the state. It's offered in all 82 counties, and the funds are prioritized based on need. 'Vulnerable households include those households with members who are elderly, disabled, or with children age 5 or younger,' the site reads." [Hattiesburg American, 4/2/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded $137 Million In Previously-Approved Funding For Mississippi Schools. According to Magnolia Tribune, "The Mississippi Department of Education is concerned about a recent decision by the federal government regarding access to COVID-19 pandemic federal reimbursement funding. The U.S. Department of Education has rescinded the deadline of March 1, 2026, to liquidate more than $137 million in federal funds previously allocated to MDE and local school districts for relief in response to the pandemic. [...] Programs that could be affected by the loss of those reimbursement funds include those that address pandemic-related learning gaps, access to high-quality learning materials, access to professional development for educators, access to assistance that benefits homeless students and funding that is being used to conduct repairs and maintenance on educational facilities. " [Magnolia Tribune, 4/7/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled $1.5 Million In Funding For Mississippi Nonprofit That Supports Local History And Cultural Programs. According to MPB, "The Mississippi Humanities Council was founded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1972. It has helped to support the creation of cultural projects throughout the state, including expanding the Mississippi Freedom Trail and youth reading programs. The council also provides grants of up to $10,000 to projects that support the humanities in areas that include literature, linguistics, history and archaeology. Late Wednesday night, the organization’s executive director, Stuart Rockoff, received a message regarding an operational grant the council was previously awarded. 'It was about 11:45 p.m.,' he said. 'I got an email from some unclear email address announcing that our current operating grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities was terminated immediately.' [...] 'We have about $1.5 million of federal funds that have been either awarded or appropriated to us that we are no longer able to have access to,' he said.” [MPB, 4/4/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cut $238 Million In Funding To Mississippi Public Health Agencies. According to Mississippi Today, "Cuts to public health and mental health funding in Mississippi have doubled – reaching approximately $238 million – since initial estimates last week, when cancellations to federal grants allocated for COVID-19 pandemic relief were first announced. Slashed funding to the state’s health department will impact community health workers, planned improvements to the public health laboratory, the agency’s ability to provide COVID-19 vaccinations and preparedness efforts for emerging pathogens, like H5 bird flu. The grant cancellations, which total $230 million, will not be catastrophic for the agency, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney told members of the Mississippi House Democratic Caucus at the Capitol April 1." [Mississippi Today, 4/2/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut $7.5 Million In Funding To Mississippi’s Department Of Mental Health Which Treated Youth Mental Illness And Drug Addiction. According to Mississippi Today, "The Mississippi Department of Mental Health will lose approximately $7.5 million in funding, said agency spokesperson Adam Moore. [...] The discontinued Department of Mental Health grants were allocated across a variety of programs and funded or supported services that include diversion coordination, school mental health programs, a program for first-episode psychosis, residential and outpatient services for alcohol and drug addiction, and more, the agency’s spokesperson said. " [Mississippi Today, 3/27/25]
March 2025: South Mississippi Health Nonprofit Was Forced To Lay Off Two Employees After Trump Spending Cuts. According to WLOX, "As the Trump administration continues to direct more federal funds to be pulled from an array of programs, the impacts of those cuts are being felt in South Mississippi. 'I feel like we’re treading on uncharted territory, where on any given day, the current administration may say to an organization, your funding is cut.' That’s James Pennington’s take on the situation. He’s the executive director of Back Bay Mission. Monday, his staff is operating with two less employees, because the federal dollars that funded their employment are now gone. 'Our community health worker grant was terminated,' he told WLOX News. 'We got a letter from the Mississippi State Department of Health that said their funding was terminated from the current administration.' Both community health workers had been employed at Back Bay Mission for more than a year, Pennington said. On top of that, the $200,000 grant had just been re-approved at the start of the year. When Pennington got the letter late last week, he was shocked. 'They were doing some really important work. Looking at health outcomes, getting people connected with either dental, mental, medical, whatever kind of healthcare they needed,' he explained. 'And Mississippi, of course, we’re pretty much the leader in poor health outcomes.'" [WLOX, 3/31/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Reportedly Closed Three Social Security Offices In Mississippi. According to The Clarion-Ledger, "Three Social Security offices are reportedly closed, though they are still listed on the Social Security Administration website as of Monday. Grenada: $127,570 in estimated total savings on an $255,140 lease cost for 8,946 square feet. Greenwood: $504,916 in estimated total savings on an $263,435 annual lease cost for 11,100 square feet. Meridian: $977,426 in estimated total savings on an $229,983 annual lease cost for 14,000 square feet." [Clarion-Ledger, 3/3/25]