Agriculture
The Trump administration cut funding that allowed food banks and school districts to buy produce from local farmers who rely on their purchases, as well as terminating the lease for a Farm Service Agency building that served a key role in distributing aid to farmers after Hurricane Helene.
Education
The Trump administration ended multi-million dollar grants to help hire and pay bonuses to North Carolina teachers, and their cuts to the Department of Education threaten further losses in funding for North Carolina school districts.
Environment
The Trump administration froze a $3 million grant to help African-American and Latino communities rebuild after hurricanes and fired roughly 20 Forest Service employees that were helping with Hurricane Helene recovery and wildfire prevention.
Health Care
The Trump administration cut funding to a program that helped North Carolinians enroll in and access health insurance.
Public Safety
The Trump administration fired staff at the National Weather Service, threatening the data collection that North Carolinians rely on for severe weather warnings.
Social Security
The Trump administration closed four Social Security Administration offices in North Carolina.
Veterans
The Trump administration fired employees at Veterans Affairs hospitals in North Carolina.
April 2025: North Carolina Farmer Said The Trump Administration Was Squeezing Farmers.
April 2025: North Carolina Farmer Mike Jones Discussed The Impacts Of Trump's Tariffs On His Farm.
March 2025: Western North Carolina Food Banks Called Trump USDA Cuts “Devastating” As Community Recovers From Hurricane Helene. According to the Charlotte Observer, "Western North Carolina food banks hope their communities and elected officials start speaking up. Still reeling from Helene, the federal government’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program helped knit together the local supply chain, food bank leaders say. The food banks bought directly from locally owned farms to secure healthy produce, dairy and meat for families in need. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in early March it canceled the LFPA, Politico reported. The cuts will affect schools too, with the USDA also cutting hundreds of millions from a similar program. Now, MANNA FoodBank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC say they’re facing a multi-million dollar funding gap as they work to serve communities still recovering from the September tropical storm that caused widespread devastation. 'Losing this support is devastating, not merely because of the financial setback, but because it directly affects an essential lifeline connecting agriculture, regional economic well-being, and the health of WNC families,' MANNA CEO Claire Neal said in a statement." [Charlotte Observer, 3/19/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Terminated $11 Million In Grants To North Carolina Food Banks To Buy Produce From Local Farmers. According to the Charlotte Observer, "North Carolina was poised to receive more than $11.4 million in funding through the LFPA program, according to MANNA’s statement. The Asheville-based group, which serves 16 counties in Western North Carolina, received about $1.3 million through the program last year." [Charlotte Observer, 3/19/25]
Charlotte Farmer: “The Money Is Running Out” After Trump USDA Cuts. According to the Charlotte Observer, "Some in the North Carolina farming industry are sounding the alarm about the future of local farms as ongoing federal budget cuts squash programs funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. In March, the USDA slashed more than $1 billion from its Local Food Purchase Assistance and Local Food for Schools programs which allowed schools, child care centers and states to buy food directly from local farmers. As food banks and school lunch programs scramble to adjust, farmers say they will feel the business side of these cuts. While some farmers feel unsettled, another said good business strategy and state funding could help make up the gaps. Kim Shaw, owner of Small City Farm in Charlotte, said food purchase program cuts have worried her about the future of her business and its ability to provide locally grown food to schools and SNAP programs. Shaw said changing quickly is difficult for farmers because they must plant crops months before they can sell them. 'It’s a huge amount of uncertainty. Farming is very uncertain to begin with, which is why the LFPAs were so great, because it was really something we could count on and count on in quantities,' she said. 'It changes up what we do considerably and brings more uncertainty to what is already a very tricky business.' Shaw’s 3-acre farm grows 185 types of vegetables, herbs and flowers. It also produces eggs. She said around 10% of her business is reliant on LFPA programs and she is already feeling the impacts of the cuts. 'The money is running out,' she said." [Charlotte Observer, 4/7/25]
March 2025: Fourth-Generation Henderson, North Carolina, Farmer Was In “Disbelief” After Trump Administration Cut USDA Funding. According to WTVD, "Fourth-generation farmer Patrick Brown is one of many farmers affected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cuts. The federal government has ended two programs that provided food to schools and food banks by buying it from local farmers. 'The way this may impact my farm season is getting crops in the ground later. We already have to deal with Mother Nature so that's going to be unpredictable,' said Brown. 'It's not positive. Moreso, what are we going to do now? Just in disbelief.'" [WTVD, 3/14/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Terminated Lease For Farm Service Agency Building In Hendersonville Despite Key Role Office Played In Distributing Relief Money To Farmers After Hurricane Helene. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, “Even as farmers recover from record flooding sustained during Tropical Storm Helene, the Trump administration has indicated it will terminate the lease of the Farm Service Agency office located in the heart of Western North Carolina's apple orchards and fruit farms in Henderson County. The termination of the lease in Hendersonville will affect both the FSA and the Henderson County Soil and Conservation offices. Helene caused an estimated $4.9 billion in damages to Western North Carolina agriculture, and an estimated $135 million in damages in Henderson County, the Hendersonville Times News reported Feb. 26. [...] Henderson County Extension Director for NC Cooperative Extension Terry Kelley said he was ‘very concerned’ about possible cuts to the FSA, given that most of the aid given to farmers after Helene has been through the agency. Most of the money allocated for farm recovery from Congress is still waiting to be distributed and the ‘most logical’ way to distribute would be through the FSA, Kelley said. ‘I'm very much afraid that if something doesn't happen to get a little bit more to our growers that a lot of them are going to be left in bad shape,’ Kelley said. The hope is that the FSA would have a new building by the end of August, Kelley said.” [Asheville Citizen-Times, 3/7/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration’s USDA Cuts Halted Funding For Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District’s Food Program. According to WCNC, “Two key programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been slashed, totaling over $1 billion annually in support for schools and food banks across the nation. The cuts target the local food-for-schools initiative and community eligibility provisions. We verify what this means for students in the Charlotte area. [...] Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which has benefited from the program in the past, confirmed that it received more than $541,142.70 in the first phase of funding. However, in a statement, CMS said these funds have already been used, and the district has yet to be notified about funding for the program's second phase. A spokesperson stated: ‘CMS has not been notified of the amount of our allotment. We believe this is what has been halted.’” [WCNC, 3/12/25]
April 2025: North Carolina Farmers Were Facing Bankruptcy Due To Trump's Tariffs And Funding Cuts.
March 2025: Trump's Tariffs Threatened To Increase Prices For Goods In North Carolina.
February 2025: Laid-Off Federal Workers In Asheville, North Carolina, Spoke Out Over Mass Terminations.
March 2025: North Carolina Research Nonprofit Laid Off Over 170 Employees In The State After Trump Spending Cuts. According to Axios, "RTI International, a research nonprofit and one of the Triangle's largest employers, is laying off another round of employees due to the uncertainty of federal funding. Why it matters: Since the start of the Trump administration's efforts to cut federal funding, RTI International has laid off more than 500 staff members. Driving the news: That includes an additional 340 U.S.-based employees announced on Tuesday — 177 of which are in North Carolina. The nonprofit said it anticipates making more changes to its operations in the coming weeks. State of play: RTI, the first-ever tenant in Research Triangle Park, had more than 1,000 employees in the Triangle before the start of this year. The research nonprofit, formed by the North Carolina state government as well as Duke, UNC and N.C. State, has been a major recipient of federal research funding over its history." [Axios, 3/26/25]
February 2025: Durham, North Carolina, Nonprofit Laid Off 200 Workers After Trump Spending Cuts. According to Spectrum News 1, "A Durham-based global research nonprofit is laying off 36% of its U.S. staff, with more than 200 workers being in North Carolina, according to a press release. FHI 360, founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will begin furloughs Friday, Feb. 7 because of 'the pause of U.S. foreign assistance funding and programs,' the company’s release said. FHI 360 said its mission is to 'mobilize research, resources and relationships so that people everywhere can access the opportunities they need to lead full, healthy lives.'" [Spectrum News 1, 2/7/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration Cut Funding For AmeriCorps, Forcing Volunteers To Abandon Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts And Return Home. According to the Asheville Citizen Times, “More than 50 young workers in a federal program helping Western North Carolina residents rebuild after Tropical Storm Helene were abruptly pulled from their assignments April 15, leaving local nonprofits scrambling to fill the gaps. The sudden work stoppage was billed as one of the Trump administration’s latest efforts to shrink the federal government. AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps told workers April 15 they would exit the program early and must leave town — reporting back to their Louisiana campus — by the next morning, according to local volunteers working with the members and an email obtained by USA TODAY. The message says the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost cutting initiatives impacted its ‘ability to sustain program operations.’ Members have been placed into administrative hold and will be formally dismissed on April 30.” [Asheville Citizen Times, 4/23/25]
April 2025: North Carolina's Head Start Programs Were In Jeopardy Due To Proposed Cuts By The Trump Administration.
February 2025: UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Warned Trump NIH Cuts Would Lead To “Massive Layoffs.” According to the Charlotte Observer, "The National Institutes of Health announced Friday that it would limit indirect funding for research projects to 15%, The News & Observer reported, which could lead to nationwide layoffs. Most NIH grants consist of both 'direct' payments for conducting medical studies and 'indirect' payments for administrative costs like building maintenance, shared lab staff and legal compliance. The government and research institutions negotiate indirect rates, which historically added around 27% to award totals, though major institutions have often received 50% or more to support indirect expenses. (For example, UNC-Chapel Hill had negotiated an indirect cost rate of 55%.) NIH funding cuts would mean universities would have to find ways to make cutbacks and could result in 'massive layoffs' across the Triangle, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp told The N&O." [Charlotte Observer, 2/11/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Executive Order Called For Reduction To Federal Agency That Previously Provided $30 Million To North Carolina Libraries And Museums. According to WECT, "President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to cut essential small agencies, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). According to a post on the White House website, the order states IMLS 'shall be eliminated to the maximum extent.' Between 2020 and 2024, IMLS provided over $30 million in funding for museums and libraries across North Carolina. According to the IMLS website, the funds were used for programs that support 'key activities of libraries, museums, and related organizations, and encourage leadership, innovation, and partnership.' Many institutions in the Cape Fear Region have received grants from IMLS in the past including the Cameron Art Museum, the Children’s Museum of Wilmington, the New Hanover County Museum, the Bellamy Mansion Museum, Airlie Gardens and the Latimer House Museum and Archives." [WECT, 3/21/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded $17 Million In Previously-Approved Funding To North Carolina Schools. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, "Four North Carolina school districts have lost $17 million in federal COVID aid after the U.S. Department of Education abruptly canceled the funding. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to states Friday informing them that she was immediately terminating unspent federal stabilization funds that were provided during the pandemic. The decision could cost schools around the country $3 billion, according to a spreadsheet obtained by The 74, an education news outlet. State Superintendent Mo Green, a Democrat, said that the funding loss 'threatens the financial integrity' of four school districts: Halifax, Lenoir, Richmond and Robeson counties by costing them $17 million. The State Board of Education unanimously approved a joint statement with Green on Thursday to urge McMahon to reverse her decision.” [Raleigh News & Observer, 4/3/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled $1.6 Million Grant For North Carolina Nonprofit That Supports Local History And Cultural Programs. According to WUNC, "A North Carolina nonprofit that funds museums, libraries, and history education programs could lose federal funding. Charlotte-based North Carolina Humanities receives most of its annual budget—about $1.6 million—from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Media outlets, including NPR and The New York Times report most of the endowment’s staff were placed on administrative leave last week. The cutbacks were reportedly initiated by Elon Musk’s DOGE cost-cutting team. NEH officials have declined comment. 'On April 3, we learned that DOGE rescinded NEH grants that have already been awarded, including operating support grants for the 56 affiliated humanities councils like North Carolina Humanities,' Executive Director Sherry Paula Watkins said in a statement. 'These cuts could result in the loss of approximately $1.6 million annually for North Carolina Humanities and its nonprofit partners. This funding supports North Carolina communities, both urban and rural, in nearly all 100 counties.' Watkins said the cuts would affect programs such as its North Carolina Reads statewide book club, fellowships, reading programs, and cultural festivals. 'Humanities councils work, on average, with over 120 local partners each year and raise $2 in private investment for every $1 of federal support. The ripple effects of these cuts will be felt in every state and territory,' Watkins said." [WUNC, 4/9/25]
March 2025: Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Leaders Stated Trump Department Of Education Firings “Could Be Detrimental To Us Being Able To Provide A Quality Education.” According to Queen City News, "Local education staff and officials are sounding the alarm after widespread staffing cuts were made this week at the U.S. Department of Education. Both Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders and the state superintendent told Queen City News they are worried about essential federal funding getting to students who need it. 'We really don’t know who, which department, what positions, who’s controlling what really, it’s up in the air right now,' said CMS Board Vice Chair Dee Rankin. The U.S. Department of Education has already cut half of its workforce and laid off 1,300 employees on Tuesday. Rankin says the cuts are causing confusion. Ten percent of the district’s funding comes from the feds, used to pay for basic educational needs, staffing and professional development. 'Not really knowing if they’re going to be there of not could be detrimental to us being able to provide a quality education to all of our students,' said Rankin." [Queen City News, 3/12/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Terminated Multi-Million Dollar Grants To Help Hire And Pay Bonuses To North Carolina Teachers. According to The News & Observer, "The Trump administration has abruptly cut off tens of millions of dollars in federal grants that North Carolina public schools have been using to recruit and retain teachers. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced it had terminated more than $600 million in federal grants that it said were being used to train teachers in 'divisive ideologies.' The impact is being especially felt in North Carolina, where educators said it will hurt efforts to recruit teachers to work in high-needs schools. [...] Now some teachers who are being paid out of the grant money are at risk of losing their jobs. Hundreds of current and aspiring teachers face losing thousands of dollars in promised bonuses and stipends. Grant recipients have 30 days to appeal the termination of their grants." [News & Observer, 3/6/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration Cut Funding For A Citizenship Education Program In Greensboro. According to WFDD, “A federal grant that supported a Greensboro citizenship education program for legal permanent residents has been terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The program is a collaboration between the New Arrivals Institute (NAI) and University of North Carolina at Greensboro, providing legal and educational services to people navigating the U.S. citizenship process.” [WFDD, 4/28/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired At Least 23 Park Rangers In North Carolina. According to WUNC, "President Donald Trump is downsizing the federal workforce through the Department of Governmental Efficiency, which is headed by billionaire Elon Musk and commonly known as DOGE. Since Trump began his second term in office, thousands of workers have been placed on administrative leave, laid off or simply fired. National parks across the U.S. are not immune to the Trump administration’s cuts, and North Carolina is already seeing the impact. At least six people from the Outer Banks group of national parks had their jobs terminated this month, according to the Association of National Park Rangers. The national parks in that part of the state that were impacted are the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo. Bill Wade, the executive director of the ANPR, said he didn’t know which specific positions were cut in the Outer Banks, but confirmed the number of job losses to WUNC. Amongst all of North Carolina's national parks, at least 23 park rangers have been laid off." [WUNC, 2/28/25]
February 2025: North Carolina Group Faced Uncertainty With Federal Grant To Help African-Americans And Latinos Properly Prepare For Hurricanes After Trump Spending Freeze. According to Inside Climate News, "MDC, a nonprofit in Durham, North Carolina, along with the Hispanic Federation, was supposed to receive a $3 million environmental justice community change grant for disaster recovery and resilience programs in Latino areas of eastern North Carolina. 'We were thrilled to receive federal support to do this work, but unfortunately, like many others, we have experienced an interruption in accessing this funding,' said Clarissa Goodlett, MDC’s director of communications. Many neighborhoods, especially those that are home to low-income, Black and Latino residents, are still rebuilding from hurricanes that hit in 2016 and 2018. During the storms, rural counties in eastern North Carolina did not provide real-time emergency alerts or evacuation orders in Spanish, according to Enlace Latino NC, a Spanish-language digital news outlet. The MDC grant would help Latinos connect with local governments to ensure their communities are included in discussions and decisions about the impact of climate disasters. 'We are investigating and pursuing whatever options and channels are available to us to ensure we can follow through on our commitment to communities in eastern North Carolina,' Goodlett said.” [Inside Climate News, 2/16/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration’s Firing Of Roughly 20 Forest Service Employees In Western North Carolina Put Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts At Risk. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, "For Western North Carolina, the terminations come less than five months after Tropical Storm ripped through the region, damaging more than 185,000 acres of national forest, about 20% of the total acreage. The storm, which the agency expects will take years to recover from, hit Pisgah National Forest particularly hard, damaging facilities and infrastructure like roadways, as well as downing trees throughout its 500,000 acres, increasing wildfire risk. [...] A program manager with the U.S. Forest Service who spoke to the Citizen Times on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from her employer, said the recent firings are a huge strain on the already understaffed agency and pose a major threat to the Helene recovery effort and future wildfire response. [...] Many U.S. Forest Service employees fired over the weekend told the Citizen Times that performance was cited in the letters they received, even though they all received good evaluations, they said. Sources familiar with the terminations said nearly 20 people working in the region had been affected so far." [Asheville Citizen-Times, 2/18/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Drastically Cut Funding To Program That Enrolled 11,000 North Carolinas In Health Insurance And Helped 90,000 Others With Coverage Questions In 2024. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, "A massive reduction in funding for a federal program that helps people enroll in health plans has advocates concerned that Western North Carolina residents, many still recovering in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, won’t get the support they need when it comes to accessing health care coverage. The cuts to the Affordable Care Act’s federal navigator program, announced Feb. 14 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will reduce last year's $98 million budget to just $10 million annually. [...] During the 2023-24 grant year, Legal Aid of North Carolina received more than $7 million in federal funds to support the consortium’s work across its statewide network of 12 federally qualified health insurance navigators, including Western North Carolina nonprofits Pisgah Legal Services, the Council on Aging of Buncombe County, CareReach and Haywood County’s Mountain Projects. In total, the consortium provided health care coverage support to more than 100,000 people in North Carolina last year, according to CMS data. Navigators enrolled 6,666 people in qualified health plans through the ACA marketplace and 4,443 in the Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid, which the state’s General Assembly expanded access to in 2023 after Republican lawmakers refused to do so for years. Additionally, the consortium assisted more than 90,000 others, either by referring them to coverage options outside the marketplace, providing post-enrollment help or other general assistance, including how to pay premiums online." [Asheville Citizen-Times, 2/20/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled Over $100 Million In Funding For North Carolina Public Health Agencies That Officials Said Would Result In 80 Layoffs. According to Spectrum News 13, "North Carolina health officials say they are still evaluating the effects of cuts to federal COVID-19 funding announced this week but expect dozens of state employees to lose jobs. 'We are currently working to determine the depth of impact, but we are certain this will result in the loss of more than 80 jobs at the department and more than $100 million in funding that directly contributes to the health, safety and wellbeing of the people we serve,' the agency said in a statement sent to Spectrum News 1 Wednesday. Federal officials on Tuesday announced they would pull back $11.4 billion sent to state and local public health departments and other health organizations to respond to the COVID pandemic." [Spectrum News 13, 3/27/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded Substance Abuse Treatment Funding From Cumberland County Universities And EMS Programs. According to CityView NC, "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is revoking $230 million in federal grants from North Carolina, and Cumberland County organizations could be impacted. Cape Fear Valley Health and Fayetteville State University would be among the local agencies and institutions taking the biggest hit, according to state health officials and the office of North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson. The Cumberland County Department of Public Health could also lose some temporary staff, the department’s director told CityView. [...] Fayetteville State University is among 14 universities in North Carolina receiving grant dollars to provide substance use disorder recovery programs. The money is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), one of the 13 agencies under HHS. The funding helps pay for FSU students’ substance use services, which include counseling and a live-in recovery community." [CityView NC, 4/4/25]
OP-ED: “Trump’s War On Spending Is Affecting NC Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Services.” According to an opinion by Paige Masten, "President Donald Trump’s attempts to freeze all federal funding and place thousands of government programs under scrutiny have created an environment of fear and uncertainty for organizations that provide services related to domestic violence and sexual assault in North Carolina and beyond. While multiple court orders have blocked the freeze from taking effect, some states still have reported delays in receiving funds for programs aimed at preventing sexual violence, NPR reported earlier this week. That funding comes from the Centers for Disease Control as part of the Rape Prevention and Education Program. The CDC awards the grants to state health departments, who in turn dole out the funds to community organizations. A spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services told me that the department has not yet received notice that its funds have been awarded for the new grant cycle, which was set to begin on Feb. 1. As a result, the department has not issued contracts to the programs it intends to support and is not recruiting for a current vacant position, the spokesperson said. The situation is also having impacts on organizations that support victims of domestic violence. So far, domestic violence service organizations in North Carolina have not had trouble receiving funds, but there nonetheless remains uncertainty about their ability to continue providing services to those who need them. 'The majority of our agencies in North Carolina rely very, very heavily on this federal funding,' Nisha Williams, legal director for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, told me. 'If they stopped getting federal funding, the safety net that survivors are able to access at domestic violence agencies will essentially fall apart.'" [Paige Masten - Charlotte Observer, 2/14/25]
Western North Carolina Nonprofit Director: “Lives Will Be Lost” Due To Trump National Weather Service Cuts. According to NC Newsline, "On a panel Monday discussing the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Weather Service [NWS], Todd Carter, an executive with a western North Carolina housing nonprofit, warned 'lives will be lost' due to ongoing staff and budgets cuts. 'We make this information available for free. Not everything should be for sale, not everything should be for profit,' said Carter, Hospitality House of Northwest NC’s chief development director. '[Without NWS] we’d have to pay for a report every time something comes out — we don’t have the time to do that, we don’t have the funding to do that, and lives will be lost.' Carter said his organization, which has worked to house North Carolinians displaced by Helene across seven counties impacted by the hurricane, is able to mobilize ahead of storms early because it receives emergency alerts through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency targeted for major cuts by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. That’s because agency officials recognize Hospitality House provides 'critical' services to the rural counties it helps — Watauga, Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Mitchell, and Yancey — Carter said." [NC Newsline, 3/25/25]
Charlotte, NC Meteorologist Raised Alarm About Potential Disruptions To Critical Services After Trump Spending Cuts. According to WBTV, "While details remain limited, the layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have sparked discussions in the meteorological community about how the cuts could affect weather forecasting nationwide. WBTV’s Chief Meteorologist Al Conklin emphasized that the National Weather Service plays a crucial behind-the-scenes role in providing data that local meteorologists rely on to make accurate forecasts. 'There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes that most Americans don’t know about,' Conklin said. 'The meteorologists you see on TV rely on NWS data as a foundation for their forecasts.' Conklin noted that nearly all forecast models used by local meteorologists originate from the National Weather Service. 'All the model data we look at, in one way, shape, or form, comes from the National Weather Service,' Conklin said. The National Weather Service is also responsible for issuing severe weather warnings and alerts, which local news stations relay to the public. These include storm warnings, tornado warnings, flood warnings, and the like. [...] While the extent of the layoffs is still unknown, Conklin and others in the weather community are concerned about potential disruptions in data collection and forecasting accuracy. 'My concern is how much does it impact the final product: their forecast, their research,' Conklin said. 'It’s a marriage between our trained meteorologists and the data the NWS provides. We make our own forecasts, but we rely on their data.' Conklin said he understands that no organization is perfect, and that cuts may be necessary or even helpful in some way. But, he said that he hopes respect is given to the critical role National Weather Service staff plays in weather and safety." [WBTV, 3/3/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Closed Four Social Security Offices In North Carolina. 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: [...] North Carolina - Elizabeth City, Franklin, Greenville, Roanoke Rapids." [ABC27, 3/7/25]
March 2025: VA Secretary Collins Confirmed Administration Fired “14 Or 15” Workers At Asheville Center. According to NC Newsline, "U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was peppered with questions Tuesday about widespread layoffs at the federal agency during a press conference at the Asheville VA Medical Center. Collins has said the VA will lay off as many as 80,000 staffers as part of President Donald Trump’s controversial strategy to streamline the federal government. The VA has already laid off 2,400 probationary employees, including 14 or 15 staff members who lost jobs at the Asheville VA. Collins shared that one executive assistant, interior designers, and some stock clerks were among the 14 or 15 staffers let go in Asheville. " [NC Newsline, 3/19/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Multiple Employees At VA Hospitals In Durham And Fayetteville. According to WNCN, "The firing of federal workers has now hit central North Carolina VA hospitals. CBS 17 has confirmed multiple employees have been terminated at both the Durham VA and the VA Coastal Health Care System in Fayetteville as ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. It is not yet clear how many people were fired or what their job titles were." [WNCN, 2/26/25]