Agriculture
The Trump administration cut funding that allowed food banks and school districts to buy produce from local farmers who rely on their purchases and funding for a farmer education program in the Texas Panhandle.
Economy
The Trump administration’s cuts forced a San Antonio company to lay off over 650 caregivers at government border facilities.
Health Care
The Trump administration cut funding for an Austin program that helped 5,000 people enroll in healthcare coverage annually.
Public Health
Texans were concerned about the measles outbreak in their state amid the Trump administration's layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Public Safety
The Trump administration laid off NOAA employees, with meteorologists in Texas warning that will hurt their forecasts and severe weather warnings.
Social Security
The Trump administration closed three Social Security Administration offices in Texas.
Veterans
The Trump administration laid off Veterans Affairs employees across Texas and fired a disabled veteran working for the IRS.
April 2025: Texas Cattle Ranchers And Farmers Were Being Hurt By Trump Tariffs.
April 2025: Trump's Tariffs Threatened To Disrupt Produce Trucking In Texas.
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut Up To $9.2 Million In Funding For North Texas Food Bank To Purchase Produce From Local Farmers. According to KXAS, "Local food banks are taking a direct hit as the Trump administration slashes billions of dollars in funding for two federal programs. Those USDA programs helped schools and food banks purchase food from farms. The North Texas Food Bank tells NBC 5 it will now have to make some tough decisions as it works to help families struggling to make ends meet. Like many other nonprofit relief organizations, the food bank has been monitoring changes at the federal level. Recently, the USDA discontinued a program that allowed food banks to purchase food from local farmers. Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank, spoke to NBC 5 about how the program has historically helped farmers throughout North Texas. 'It’s an economic incentive for some of these lower-scale farmers and producers so they can try to be competitive with some of these larger producers to keep our farm industry strong,' Cunningham said. She said they’re no longer counting on the funding they had hoped to receive through the local food cooperative agreement, and the impact will be significant. 'If they funded it at the same level as the current LFPA program, that would’ve been about $9.2 million that we would’ve had to be able to purchase food,' she said. 'We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of pounds of food that we will not be able to provide out to our community.'" [KXAS, 3/12/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Terminated USDA Program That Previously Provided Victoria, Texas, Food Bank With Over $200,000 To Buy Produce From Local Farmers. According to The Victoria Advocate, "A recent $1 billion budget cut by the U.S. Department of Agriculture could directly impact local schools and food banks, including the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent’s ability to buy from local farmers and producers. 'Our mission remains unchanged,' Robin Cadle, CEO of the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, said. 'We’re gonna keep our families fed and we’ll pivot where we need to.' The Food Bank of the Golden Crescent has applied for grants through this program three times in the past three years. The food bank has received a pair of grants between $200,000 to $250,000 through this program. 'We’ve been successful before, but there’s been no word about the third round of grant funding we requested,' Cadle said. 'The funding we receive through this grant allows us to buy from local farmers instead of big suppliers.' The organization has used grant funding in the past to buy milk, eggs, meat products, rice and produce from local farmers. Grants within the LFPACA are competitive in nature and the amount a food bank or school gets is based on the area and the amount of people they serve. 'This has been a successful and strong bi-partisan supported program that has supported the local agriculture community,' Cadle said." [Victoria Advocate, 3/14/25]
March 2025: El Paso, Texas, Food Bank That Received $2 Million From USDA Program To Buy Produce From Local Farmers Warned Of Impact After Trump Administration Cut Funding They Were “Reliant” On. According to KTSM, "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled two federal programs that provided about $1 billion in federal funds to schools and food banks to buy food directly from local farms. One of the programs being cut is called the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA). The program allowed local food banks like El Pasoans Fighting Hunger to buy fresh produce. 'It’s been a great program over time. The food bank here in El Paso has been awarded about $2.2 million to purchase food from small farmers. The next round was supposed to take effect this summer,' said Susan Goodell, CEO of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. Goodell adds that the recent cuts will impact the food bank like others across the country. 'The vast majority, over 99 percent of the food that we get here in this community is donated. We cannot depend on local food supplies because we’re a desert. And so, there’s very little food production here in El Paso. So, we are reliant on programs like LFPA and like getting food from other parts of the country,' Goodell said." [KTSM, 3/13/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration Cut USDA Funding For Food Banks, Forcing The Central Texas Food Bank To Cancel Deliveries For 716,000 Meals. According to CBS Austin, “At a time when food insecurity is on the rise, the Trump administration cut more than a billion dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture last month, resulting in the cancellation of hundreds of thousands of meals to the Central Texas Food Bank. One in six Central Texans currently faces food insecurity, with the Central Texas Food Bank serving 93,000 people a week. Those cancelled deliveries have resulted in the loss of 913,000 pounds of food, or roughly 716,000 meals. This doesn't just impact their partners, but the communities these partners serve.” [CBS Austin, 4/18/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Cut Funding For Texas Panhandle-Area Program To Educate And Train Farmers. According to KVII, "The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency has cut funding for several programs, aiming to eliminate what it considers wasted tax dollars. Among the affected initiatives is the Square Mile Community Development, which supports rural communities throughout the Texas Panhandle, including areas like San Jacinto and the Barrio in Amarillo. The organization primarily relies on private donations but received a $150,000 grant from the Working Lands Conservation Corps at the beginning of last year. Brady Clark, the executive director, said the grant would have enabled them to hire six people and provide agricultural education programs. ‘That was really geared towards education, job training helping people, resource farmers, small producers in the region as well as helping educate people about water conservation, playa lakes and how do we maintain good ground water in the south plains and the upper 26 counties,' Clark said. However, last week, the organization received unexpected news. 'We were informed last week that money was gone, and that program was gone without any explanation besides a verbal notice as a couple of weeks from now all that money is just completely gone and that means our program is just done,' Clark said." [KVII, 2/20/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Spending Cuts Forced San Antonio, Texas, Company To Lay Off Over 650 Caregivers At Government Border Facilities. According to the San Antonio Express-News, “Federal spending cuts under President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have hit federal contractors, and a San Antonio-headquartered company, again. This time, more than 650 employees with a company that hires caregivers for military medical facilities are losing their jobs. LUKE Holdings has been staffing federally owned military medical facilities with caregivers, including 'hard-to-fill positions,' since 2004. Now, the company is cutting 666 employees staffed at border-town facilities, in both South and West Texas, citing the federal government’s order to reduce staff sizes. [...] Upon reviewing the addresses of each location, which include El Paso, Laredo, Donna, Eagles Pass and Del Rio, it seems LUKE Holdings has been ordered to pull employees from a series of temporary immigration processing and detention centers erected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection between 2020 and 2022.” [San Antonio Express-News, 3/6/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cuts Forced A YMCA In Houston To Close, And Affected Other Locations And Staff. According to KHOU 11, “A long-standing community anchor in the Alief area will shut its doors at the end of May. After more than two decades of service, the Alief Family YMCA announced it will close on May 30, 2025. The decision comes in response to significant federal funding cuts. ‘The senior citizens, the kids coming out of school, they can come here, they’re safe,’ said longtime member Anna Dottery. “It’s disappointing that they’re going to close this YMCA.’ The Alief facility had, in recent years, transitioned into a hub for the YMCA’s New American Initiative, according to YMCA officials. The federally funded program offered resettlement services to refugees starting over in Houston. When the program lost its funding due to ongoing Trump administration budget cuts, it eliminated much of the funding that kept the Alief YMCA running. ‘This decision allows us to thoughtfully evaluate the best future use of the facility and explore how we can continue to serve the Alief community in the most impactful and sustainable way,’ the YMCA of Greater Houston said in a statement. In an additional statement, the YMCA of Greater Houston confirmed that other locations would soon be affected by federal cuts. The organizations said it made ‘the decision to eliminate about 2.7% of its workforce across multiple locations’ in response to changes in federal funding.” [KHOU 11, 4/18/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration Canceled $375 Million In Contracts To San Antonio Businesses. According to the San Antonio Express-News, “Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting agency has killed nearly $583 million in federal contracts across Texas — and businesses in San Antonio are bearing the brunt. The latest data from the Department of Government Efficiency shows local entities have lost contracts worth $375 million since early this year, about two-thirds of the statewide total. … Across the state, DOGE’s recent cuts have targeted Department of Homeland Security-funded citizenship and naturalization education programs and multi-million-dollar cybersecurity training programs for students in South Texas. They’ve also ceased Defense Department studies into evolving threats and several Veterans Affairs health care contracts. In San Antonio, DOGE’s latest moves killed contracts supporting migrant border camps, consulting with the VA on Legionella in its water systems, support for the Centers for Disease Control, naturalization education and the State Department’s agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio to restore of a 12th century mausoleum in Turkmenistan.” [San Antonio Express-News, 4/23/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Executive Order Called For Reduction To Federal Agency That Provided Millions Of Dollars In Support To Texas Libraries And Museums. According to KSAT, "An executive order from President Donald Trump last week called for eliminating non-statutory requirements from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and other government entities on March 14. The order said that the head of the institute is expected to explain what functions the entity is statutorily required to serve to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget within seven days. That deadline is Friday, March 21. [...] The IMLS has a database showing which institutions they give money to and how much funding they provide. In Texas, 20 institutions received funding from the IMLS in the 2024 fiscal year. Here are some local ones: DoSeum - $250,000 Witte Museum - $250,000 University of Texas at Austin, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - $115,214 University of Texas at Austin, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health - $149,295 Texas A&M University, Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications - $465,648 Texas State Library and Archives Commission - $12,512,132 University of Texas at Austin, School of Information - $149,610." [KSAT, 3/20/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Laid Off All Employees In Dallas Office Of The Department Of Education. According to the Dallas Morning News, "The U.S. Department of Education will lay off all employees at its Dallas office, the department said Wednesday morning. The Dallas office is just one of the regional offices getting eliminated as part of national cuts to the agency. Other affected offices include San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland, according to NBC." [Dallas Morning News, 3/13/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cut Millions In Funding For Texas Nonprofit That Supports Local History And Cultural Programs. According to Axios Austin, "The Trump administration has canceled federal humanities research grants worth millions of dollars — including money for Austin-based projects, per interviews and a data analysis by Axios. Why it matters: Since 1965, grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) support scholarship on what the agency calls 'the building blocks of American civil society.' Driving the news: The LBJ-era agency has been virtually shuttered. The agency's workforce was put on administrative leave late last week, per NPR, and the flow of money appears to have been largely frozen, the New York Times reported. State of play: Fifteen projects involving Austin-area writers, historians and academics are currently in the middle of active NEH grants. The grants, which total $7 million, have not yet been fully paid out, per a review of grant records by Axios. Final checks from the federal government were scheduled for either later this year, 2026 or 2027." [Axios Austin, 4/8/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled Grant For Austin Professor To Develop Curriculum For First-Generation College Students. According to Axios Austin, "Austin-based professor Jena Heath learned Monday that her grant, to develop an oral history curriculum for first generation college students, had been canceled. She said she had received about a third of the roughly $60,000 grant. The cancellation feels 'like a rolling-up of the cultural life of this country,' Heath told Axios." [Axios Austin, 4/8/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Cut Funding For Austin, Texas, Program That Helped Roughly 5,000 People Enroll In Health Care Coverage Annually. According to Austin Monitor, "The Foundation Communities nonprofit is facing a substantial financial setback after the Trump administration announced a 90 percent reduction in funding for health insurance navigator grants. The cuts, revealed last Friday, eliminate nearly all funding for 56 programs nationwide that help Americans enroll in affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Foundation Communities’ Prosper Health Coverage program, which was expecting to receive $2.4 million for the next enrollment period, is among those affected. The nonprofit has provided ACA enrollment assistance since the marketplace first launched in 2013. Executive Director Walter Moreau said the program initially relied heavily on volunteers and consistently facilitated around 5,000 enrollments annually, with more than 6,800 enrolled in the 2023-24 period." [Austin Monitor, 2/19/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration’s Cuts To NIH Threatened Alzheimer’s And Parkinson’s Research In Houston. According to KHOU, “The Texas Medical Center is bracing for impact. Houston's healthcare and research institutions have been living on edge for months at risk of losing millions of dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health. It's all part of the Trump administration's push to slash government spending. KHOU 11 has spent the last few weeks having dozens of conversations with Houston researchers from leading institutions who say these cuts will be devastating to the region, most them are intimidated to speak out publicly, wary of what comes next. ‘Our success is the success of science worldwide,’ said Dr. Joshua Shulman. ‘We couldn't do what we are doing without NIH support.’ Dr. Shulman is co-director of the Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital and professor of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine. He's in the middle of 9 NIH-funded studies related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. NIH funds everything from vaccine development to cancer research.” [KHOU, 4/17/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Rescinded Funding That Helped Local Officials Treat Texas Measles Outbreak. According to the Texas Tribune, "The Trump administration this week announced plans to clawback $11 billion in pandemic-era grants that could harm local Texas public health departments as they battle a historic measles outbreak. In Lubbock, where many of the 40 Texans infected with measles have been hospitalized, grant funding affected by the announcement has paid for an epidemiologist who has directly responded to the measles outbreak in West Texas that has killed a 6-year-old girl. In Dallas, the grant funding was helping to equip a biolaboratory that will support more testing for pathogens, including measles. 'It’s kind of crazy to have this funding cut,' said Lubbock’s public health director Katherine Wells." [Texas Tribune, 3/26/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Spending Cuts Forced Dallas Public Health Agency To Lay Off 21 Employees And Cancel 50 Vaccination Clinics As Measles Outbreak Continued. According to Stat News, "Just last week, the leader of public health in Dallas had to cancel 50 vaccination clinics, including events specifically targeting schools with low immunization rates, all while the West Texas measles outbreak continues to flare. [...] After the termination of three CDC grants to Dallas on March 24, 11 full-time and 10 part-time staffers who worked in the epidemiology group to respond to outbreaks, including measles, lost their jobs, Philip Huang, a physician and director of Dallas Health and Human Services, said at a media briefing Tuesday arranged by a number of public health associations. The loss of those staffers forced the city to cancel the large number of vaccination clinics and other outreach events, he said." [Stat News, 4/1/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Spending Cuts Cost Austin Public Health Department $15 Million In Funding And Forced Them To Lay Off 27 Employees. According to KUT Radio, "Austin Public Health is losing millions in funding and 27 full-time employees due to cuts at the federal level, the agency's director said. Five of Austin Public Health's grants have been eliminated so far, resulting in the loss of an estimated $15 million over time. That money paid for APH’s Refugee Services Clinic, COVID vaccination program and diabetes care program, among other services." [KUT Radio, 4/4/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Spending Cuts Forced Tarrant County Public Health Department To Lay Off 63 Employees. According to KERA, "Tarrant County Public Health has laid off 63 people whose positions were impacted by nationwide cuts to federal grants, officials announced Wednesday. The positions were eliminated throughout March and were tied to four programs that have lost grant funding. The county has identified 21 additional public health programs that are similarly funded by federal grants and could see the same fate, according to an April 2 presentation to county commissioners. 'There’s certainly no guarantee that any of that previously authorized multiyear grant funding may continue to be available,' County Administrator Chandler Merritt told commissioners. Including the public health programs, 70 federal grant programs could see cuts in the coming weeks, potentially affecting up to 350 full-time county staff, Merritt said. So far, only the four public health programs have seen layoffs, although other departments have already implemented hiring freezes." [KERA, 4/3/25]
April 2025: San Antonio Vaccine Clinic Was Forced To Shut Down Due To Trump Administration Cuts As Measles Spread Throughout State. According to Axios San Antonio, "San Antonio Metro Health is halting vaccine clinic operations for children amid cuts in federal funding, per a memo shared with Axios. Why it matters: The grant the Trump administration is changing covered more than 22,400 vaccines for 9,300 people in San Antonio in the last fiscal year. Federal money helps fight preventable and sometimes deadly diseases like measles, which is now spreading in Texas and several parts of the country. Driving the news: A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) document lists a sweeping variety of recently terminated public health grants, with about six pages dedicated specifically to awards for 'immunization and vaccines for children.' The document shows Metro Health is losing nearly $3 million in unspent federal funds in that category. It also shows the city of San Antonio losing more than $1 million not yet spent to address COVID-19 health disparities among underserved and minority communities." [Axios San Antonio, 4/8/25]
April 2025: San Antonio Health Department Cut 33 Jobs Due To Trump Funding Cuts. According to Axios San Antonio, "Zoom in: The city's Federal Immunization Vaccines for Children Grant was reduced by $500,000 and can no longer cover direct vaccine clinical operations, per a Monday memo city manager Erik Walsh sent to the City Council. Metro Health is cutting 33 jobs due to several grant cancellations, including five jobs cut due to changes in the vaccines for children grant." [Axios San Antonio, 4/8/25]
February 2025: Texans Expressed Concern About The Trump Administration's Layoffs At The CDC Amid A Measles Outbreak In Their State.
April 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled $50 Million Grant For Flood Mitigation Programs In Austin. According to KVUE, "The city of Austin is weighing its options after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cut a key program aimed a helping communities prepare for natural disasters. In a news release, FEMA said the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC), 'was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.' FEMA added that it was also doing away with all BRIC applications from Fiscal Years 2020 to 2023. According to Austin's Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, the city received $50 million, which Fuentes said would have helped flood mitigation in hard-hit areas like southeast Austin. 'This is a necessary support because we know many private insurance companies don't want to cover residents across our country to protect them from hazards, including flooding events,' said Fuentes. 'So it is a last resort where the government has to step in and provide that safety net.' The program cut ties in Austin with the Trump administration's potential plans to get rid of FEMA entirely." [KVUE, 4/11/25]
February 2025: Houston Meteorologists Warned Trump’s NOAA Layoffs Are “Going To Affect” Locals. According to KHOU 11, "In a busy weather city like Houston, Mother Nature can impose her will at any moment. We depend on local forecasts from our KHOU 11 meteorologists but our team can't do it alone -- they rely on key data provided by the NWS. 'The National Weather Service is crucial in letting us know ... (about) extreme heat, rain or drought, or big hurricanes ... another reason they are critical here in Houston and the U.S.,' KHOU 11 Chief Meteorologist David Paul said. [...] 'We try to be apolitical because weather doesn't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican or whatever. It's still going to affect you but I want people to know that it provides a lot of value in their lives,' Berger said. 'If you're concerned about NOAA, you should let your congressman know.'"" [KHOU 11, 2/28/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Closed Three Social Security Offices In Texas. 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: [...] Texas - Abilene, Nacogdoches, Victoria" [ABC27, 3/7/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Laid Off Workers At Central Texas VA System. According to Austin American-Statesman, "Layoffs are underway at the 11 Central Texas Department of Veterans Affairs sites. 'Central Texas VA Health Care System has dismissed a small number of probationary staff,' Deann Aparicio, a spokesperson for the Central Texas system, said Friday. 'This decision will have no negative effect on veteran health care, benefits or other services and will allow VA to focus more effectively on its core mission of serving veterans, families, caregivers and survivors. We cannot discuss specific personnel matters due to privacy concerns.' [...] The 11 sites under the Central Texas VA are: Austin VA Clinic Cedar Park VA Clinic Copperas Cove VA Clinic Killeen VA Clinic Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center in Temple Temple VA Clinic Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Waco Brownwood VA Clinic Bryan VA Clinic LaGrange VA Clinic Palestine VA Clinic." [Austin American-Statesman, 3/4/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Employees At Amarillo VA System. According to KAMR, "The Amarillo VA Health Care System released a statement to MyHighPlains.com regarding recent job cuts of probationary staff. According to Amarillo VA, the dismissal has included a small number of probationary staff" [KAMR, 2/21/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Disabled Former Army Medic Working For IRS. According to KXAN Austin, "For 13 years, Daniel Santiago served this country. He joined the military back in 2011. 'I wanted to help people. Back in that time, you’re hearing all these stories about soldiers coming back that were blown up. They were hurt,' Santiago said. 'The best thing to do is to serve my country and become a medic.' Santiago said he was released from the army because of injuries during his time serving. He said he’s now a disabled veteran. [...] 'I started looking into it, and I talked to some friends,' Santiago said. 'I applied, and I was able to get a job with the IRS.' Santiago got brought on as a program analyst where he worked on the IRS’ website. 'If customers were having issues, we were making sure we were on top of fixing those issues,' Santiago said. 'So things like hearing impaired, different languages, all those different things for all the different Americans, was stuff that we put into those systems. But only three months into the job, management notified Santiago he was one of hundreds impacted by the IRS layoffs.” [KXAN Austin, 2/26/25]