Agriculture
The Trump administration canceled or froze multiple grants to Wisconsin, including $17 million in funding that allowed food banks and school districts to buy produce from local farmers who rely on their purchases, with local farmers calling it “a huge loss in resource for our community.”
Economy
The Trump administration laid off employees at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, threatening over 600 jobs that rely on the $44 million spent by tourists visiting the national park.
Education
The Trump administration threatened funding for Wisconsin libraries and museums.
Health Care
The Trump administration cut 90 percent of the funding for a program that helped Wisconsinites register for health insurance while their funding freeze may mean an addiction treatment center never opens.
Veterans
The Trump administration fired several veterans working for the federal government in Wisconsin.
HEADLINE: “‘A Huge Blow’: USDA Cuts Threaten To Throw Wisconsin’s Local Food Supply Into Disarray.” [CNN, 3/30/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration USDA Cuts Cancelled Shipment Of 5 Truckloads Of Food Worth $615,000 To Milwaukee Food Bank. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee nonprofit organization Hunger Task Force said the delivery of $615,000 worth of food it was supposed to receive this summer has been canceled after the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted funding. The USDA stopped $500 million in deliveries to food banks nationwide, Hunger Task Force said in a statement Tuesday. The funding came from the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation, which provides resources to purchase food from American farmers and ranchers and send it to emergency food providers. A USDA spokesperson told WISN 12 News that the 'Biden Administration inflated statutory programs with Commodity Credit Corporation dollars without any plans for long-term solutions, and even in 2024, used the pandemic as a reason to make funding announcements.' [...] Hunger Task Force said the cancellations represented the loss of five full truckloads of canned chicken, cheese, milk and eggs and eight partial truckloads of turkey breast, chicken legs, pulled pork and pork chops. The organization said it represents over 302,000 pounds of food valued at $615,000, a little more than 25% of the state's canceled total." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/2/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut Funding For Program That Helped Hundreds Of Wisconsin Food Banks Buy Produce From Local Farmers. According to WITI, "Local farmers sell their food to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the food is distributed to local food programs. But federal cuts mean that agreement is ending, as the growing season has already started. Milwaukee's Hunger Task Force CEO Matt King said they've been monitoring federal policy changes from the Trump administration daily. The one hitting close to home is the USDA canceling the federal program that allows states to buy locally-grown food for food banks. 'It’s a significant setback for Wisconsin producers in particular,' King said. 'Last year, Hunger Task Force used $250,000 of these USDA funds to support local Wisconsin producers, and specifically we purchased meat, and fresh fruits and vegetables and made them available to 114 pantries across 29 counties in Wisconsin.' The Hunger Task Force said it's seen a 30% increase in people turning to food pantries for help in just the last year. King said dozens of local farmers participate in the program, and they've already started planting their crops.” [WITI, 3/11/25]
March 2025: Manitowoc, Wisconsin-Area Food Bank Slashed Services After “Cuts Or Eliminations Of Certain Federally Funded Food Program” By The Trump Administration. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, "Thanks to the USDA program, vegetables from his farm arrived at Manitowoc’s Grow it Forward pantry within 24 hours of harvest, Sullivan said. Sullivan hopes customers will donate money to help continue sending his produce to the pantry, which he plans to provide at a discounted price. 'Getting exposed to what things can and should taste like, and how they should make you feel when you eat real food,' he said. On Tuesday, the pantry announced some schedule changes on its Facebook page. Starting April 3, it would limit visits from once per week to once per month, and community meals would no longer have a take-out option. In its post, the pantry wrote the changes were 'due to significant reductions in food supply caused by cuts or eliminations of certain federally funded food programs.'" [Wisconsin Public Radio, 3/12/25]
March 2025: Marathon County, Wisconsin, Farmer Was Forced To Take “Massive Pivot” When Trump Administration Cut Funding To USDA Program After Planting Season Had Already Occurred. According to WSAW, "The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is cutting two of their federal programs, halting around $1 billion in federal funding given to schools and food banks so they can buy food directly from local farms, including here in Wisconsin. The Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs' cancellation results in about $660 million and $420 million halted respectively this year. Stacey Botsford, owner of the Athens-based Red Door Family Farm, said the program cuts will make for a massive pivot. She said on a personal level, their farm already considered the money coming in from the cut programs. They already had staff hired, plans made and seeds planted for the growing season. One of her first thoughts was how much food will not be going into the community now." [WSAW, 3/12/25]
March 2025: Marathon County Charity Director Stated Trump Cancellation Of Program That Purchased Produce From Local Farmers Would Be “A Huge Loss In Resource For Our Community.” According to WSAW, "One group working with the farm is the United Way of Marathon County. Ben Lee, the Director of Community Impact at United Way, said over the last three years, a little over $250,000 has come into Marathon County through the program. 'That’s paid out to local farms to give produce to me, and then I give it to the people who need it, and so that’s a huge loss in resource for our community,' Lee explained. 'I wasn’t surprised, but at the same time, this was a committed program and so these dollars were committed. We planned around them. Our farmers planned around them. We had plans on where that food was going before we even got it.'" [WSAW, 3/12/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Roughly 25% Of Staff At Dairy Forage Research Center In Madison, Wisconsin. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, "In the days leading up to her firing, Jules Reynolds had heard from leadership that the Department of Agriculture was a 'safe ship' amid rumors of looming layoffs. On the morning of Feb. 14, she woke to an email notifying her she had been terminated from her position at the Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison due to poor performance. The center is the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service station. Reynolds had been employed for about six months as program coordinator for the Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement or SHARE initiative. She supported research conducted by the program’s partners on issues like soil health and education by strengthening collaboration and guiding internal resources. Reynolds said around a quarter of the center’s staff were fired, which included 20 scientists. That morning, she went into the office where she was told she needed to return a government-issued laptop and access card by the end of the day. 'There was this overwhelming sense of loss at the center, and not sure what would happen within the research or the projects of the center, because we had lost so many people,' Reynolds said." [Wisconsin Public Radio, 3/5/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Froze Direct Payments To Farmers Given By Local Wisconsin Agricultural Non-Profit. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, "Organizations working with Wisconsin farmers on conservation and market development projects have already had their funding frozen by Trump administration orders. Wisconsin-based nonprofit Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship was awarded $4.8 million dollars in 2022 through the Climate-Smart Commodities grant program, which was created with funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. Executive Director Joe Tomandl said their five-year contract with USDA requires them to front the cost of completing the project and submit an invoice for reimbursement the following month. Since the president’s order halting the funding, he hasn’t been able to submit invoices and isn’t sure whether the funding they’ve been promised will be released. 'We have not been instructed to stop work or anything like that,' Tomandl said. 'Reports and everything are still due. They’re being accepted, but we’re just not getting reimbursed.' Tomandl said much of the federal funding goes toward salaries of the staff his organization hired to complete the project. The group also provides direct payments to farmers during the growing season, another funding source that Tomandl said has been frozen." [Wisconsin Public Radio, 2/11/25]
February 2025: Wisconsin Nonprofit That Helps Organic Farmers Had Grants Frozen By Trump Administration. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, "Marbleseed, another Wisconsin-based nonprofit that provides support for organic farmers, has also had their federal funding halted. Lori Stern, executive director of the organization, said the freeze is also impacting some individual farmers who were promised cost-sharing funds to implement specific conservation projects. She said those that have already done the work aren’t able to get reimbursed and she thinks it may delay some farms’ plans to complete the contracted projects this spring." [Wisconsin Public Radio, 2/11/25]
March 2025: Green Bay, Wisconsin-Based Titletown Brewery Said Trump's Tariffs On Aluminum Would Hurt The Company.
February 2025: Bayfield County, Wisconsin, Officials Warned Tourism Season At The Apostle Islands Will Be “Really Challenging” Because Of Trump Layoffs; Apostle Islands Contributed $44 Million To Local Economy And Supported Over 600 Jobs In 2023. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "While people are finalizing plans for summer travel, the upcoming season at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore — and a $55.7 million local economy — is in a holding pattern after the mass layoff of national park staff, part of the Trump administration's effort to dramatically cut the federal workforce. Nearby tourism boards anticipate staffing shortages at the lakeshore, affecting how much of the park is accessible to visitors. But the full extent of the impact is yet unknown as they await clarity on funding for staff and other areas, unable to plan for managing the influx of visitors typical in a summer season. The national lakeshore 'won't shut down completely, but it's going to be really challenging,' said Mary Motiff, Bayfield County tourism director and president of the Friends of the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. [...] The Apostle Islands saw roughly 247,000 visitors in 2023, which brought in $44.4 million dollars in communities near the park. The spending supported 608 jobs in the local area. Lodging and dining account for about half of visitor spending." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/26/25]
April 2025: Dairyland Head Start Director Thanh Bui-Duquette Said Trump's Cuts To Head Start Programs Will Be An "Economic Disaster" And "Devastating For Every Community" In Wisconsin.
February 2025: Trump Administration Cancelled Program To Train 36 Special Education Teachers To Alleviate Milwaukee Public Schools’ Shortage. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, "The U.S. Department of Education terminated more than $600 million in teacher training grants this week, including funds for a program designed to bring more special education teachers into Milwaukee Public Schools. In 2023, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and MPS announced a partnership providing on-the-job training through a teaching residency, paired with a special education master’s degree program. The partnership was funded by a five year, $3.28 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. On Monday, the department abruptly canceled the grant, along with dozens of other Teacher Quality Partnership grants. [...] The purpose was to recruit 36 teachers to help alleviate the school district’s special education teaching shortage." [Wisconsin Public Radio, 2/21/25]
April 2025: Wisconsin Nonprofit That Supports Local History And Cultural Programs “Is Going To Have To Shut Down” After Trump Administration Cancelled Grant Worth 85% Of Organization's Budget. According to WMSN, "The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency has slashed funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), canceling all of its grants effective immediately -- including those to Wisconsin. Wisconsin Humanities, like other Humanities Councils in all 50 states, has been responsible for educational and cultural programs since 1972. 'To help Wisconsinites tell their stories, to share with one another, and to explore our challenges, our successes, the work that we do together,' Executive Director Dena Wortzel said. However, the 50-year story of the Wisconsin Humanities Council could be coming to an end. Wortzel said she got an email last week from the acting chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 'It was shocking,' she said. Due to federal funding cuts, the organization was canceling all of its grants to state affiliates, including the $1.2 million operating grant to Wisconsin. 'Our organization is going to have to shut down, federal support is 85% of our funding,' Wortzel said. 'We do raise private dollars, and we've been increasing those private dollars. But nevertheless, in order to reach every community in Wisconsin, every congressional district, every county, it takes federal support." [WMSN, 4/8/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Terminated $268,000 Grant To Madison Children’s Museum That Would Have Improved Organization’s Energy Efficiency. According to WMSN, "The Madison Children's Museum was also set to receive a $268,000 climate smart grant from NEH -- one of five in the country. 'A year later, actually, no, no, we're not giving you that money, we're breaking that contract basically,' Director of Marketing and Communications Jonathan Zarov said. According to Zarov, they’re still committed to buying a new electric vehicle and making green improvements to the building, after matching the money from donors. Staff has been told the grant is still in process. 'They talk about efficiency, but to create a plan and act on it and then be told when you're almost done with it that you need a Plan B, is incredibly inefficient,' Zarov said, 'and we're all spinning our wheels and wasting time on this, responding to all of this.'" [WMSN, 4/8/25]
HEADLINE: “Library Directors: Federal Funding Cuts Will Devastate Local Programming.” [The Gazette, 4/9/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Executive Order Called For Reduction To Federal Agency That Gave Millions Of Dollars To Wisconsin Museums And Libraries. According to WMTV, "The Madison Public Library and Madison Children’s Museum are asking Wisconsin residents to reach out to representatives following the President’s executive order that could slash funding. The executive order impacts funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The federal agency supports museums and libraries across the country, including in Wisconsin. The possibility of cuts to IMLS could have a trickle-down effect and impact staffing and grants across the state, said Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias. 'Many millions of dollars have come to this state, thousands of dollars have come to Madison Public Library, have come to the South Central Library system, have come to other museums in town,' she said. 'So it has a big impact in the city, and it has a big impact in the state and in the nation to not have these funds.' Elias says the funds support tech upgrades, innovative projects, and delivery services, among other things. 'There are so many divisive topics in politics currently,' Karin Davidson, who has used Wisconsin libraries for over a decade, said. 'And I never would have thought that libraries would be seen as a potentially divisive topic and something that would be cut.'" [WMTV, 3/20/25]
April 2025: The Trump Administration Canceled Funds That Helped Schools Build Tornado-Safe Rooms For Their Students. According to WEAU, "Federal funding cuts are at the top of mind for many right now. FEMA recently cancelling a program that officials say could create safety risks at rural Wisconsin schools. [...] These school districts were in the finals stages of receiving federal grant funding for multipurpose tornado safe rooms. These rooms doubled as either classrooms or gymnasiums, and now are affected after these cuts. The impacted school districts were days away from their final award and had secured local matching funds, often through voter-approved referendums." [WEAU, 4/18/25]
April 2025: Trump Administration Fired Every Staffer In Office That Manages Program Helping 70,000 Households In Wisconsin Pay Their Heating And Cooling Bill. According to WXOW, "Wisconsin residents face uncertainty after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) fired all employees of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) last week. LIHEAP provides energy assistance to low-income households by ensuring homes stay warm and cool during extreme temperatures. The program protects vulnerable households - including those of seniors, veterans, and families with young children - by preventing utility shutoffs. LIHEAP payments go directly to local utility companies, ensuring that businesses remain stable while keeping families focused on building financial independence. The program served well over 70,000 households in Wisconsin last year, with almost 10,000 of those households being within Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon counties." [WXOW, 4/7/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration Cut Budget By 90% For Program That Helped 9,600 Wisconsinites Sign Up For Health Insurance In 2024. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A Wisconsin program that helps people sign up for health insurance will likely face steep cuts later this year, following an announcement that the federal government would slash its funding. This month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it would cut funding nationwide for navigator programs, which help enroll people in health coverage, to $10 million, a drop of about 90%. 'A cut of this size will impact our ability to provide all the services and all the information in as timely a way as possible,' said Allison Espeseth, director of Covering Wisconsin, the navigator program for the state. [...] Last budget cycle, Covering Wisconsin received a grant of $3.1 million from the federal government for the year, according to federal data. A cut of 90% would leave about $300,000. [...] "Last year, Covering Wisconsin helped enroll more than 9,600 people in marketplace coverage or in Medicaid, Espeseth said. More broadly, the agency assisted around 60,000 people with questions or other issues that year, she said." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/24/25]
February 2025: Trump Administration’s Spending Freeze Caused Eau Claire Charity To Reconsider Reopening Of Addiction Treatment Center. According to WEAU, "After the Department of Government Efficiency cut funding for refugee resettlement services, Luther Social Services could reconsider purchasing an addiction treatment center that closed in 2024. The announcement came down back in December, LSS said it intended to buy L.E. Phillips Libertas Center to help the Chippewa Valley regain resources for those battling addiction. However, ever since a funding freeze for LSS refugee services, the president and CEO Hector Colon said that decision might change. 'I can’t fathom that significant funding is going to be taken away for addiction and mental health services. But, we’re going to keep looking at it and talking to our partners,' said Colon. 'Just making sure we don’t put ourselves in a position where it’s going to really hurt our organization, our current colleaugues and the people we serve.' L.E. Phillips Libertas closed on February 2nd, 2024 after the January announcement of the healthcare shutdown regarding HSHS hospitals and Prevea clinics in the area." [WEAU, 2/10/25]
March 2025: Trump Administration Cut $210 Million In Funding To Wisconsin Public Health Agencies Including Suicide Hotline And Opioid Treatment Programs. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The state of Wisconsin expects to lose more than $210 million in federal funding as a result of moves by President Donald Trump's administration to cancel more than $12 billion in COVID-era grants to state and local health departments, state officials announced Friday. The funding, which was allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic, was used not only for COVID-specific purposes like COVID-19 vaccination and testing, but also for mental health services, addiction treatment, tracking other infectious diseases and more. In a statement Friday, Gov. Tony Evers said the cuts were 'reckless' and would harm programs for community health workers, opioid overdose prevention, the 988 suicide prevention hotline and other initiatives. [...] "Funding for the state's 988 suicide prevention hotline was also subject to cuts. Milwaukee County received notice that a $200,000 award related to the hotline would be canceled. The county will have to find another way to pay for its liaison for the project, said Mike Lappen, administrator of the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. Mental Health America of Wisconsin received a similar notice that funding meant to support 'warm lines' across the state, which take calls from people who aren't quite in crisis but need to speak to a counselor, would also be canceled, said Martina Gollin-Graves, the group's president and CEO." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/29/25]
May 2025: U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Said RFK Jr. Was Misleading Congress About Having A Team On Site To Help With A Lead Exposure Crisis In Milwaukee's Public Schools. According to NPR, "'We have a team in Milwaukee,' Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified to senators in a hearing on Tuesday. He was speaking about a lead exposure crisis in the public schools there. The city health department had requested support from experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address it. 'We're giving laboratory support to the analytics in Milwaukee and we're working with the health department in Milwaukee,' Kennedy added. But Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, from Wisconsin, had a different story. 'There are no staff on the ground deployed to Milwaukee to address the lead exposure of children in schools,' she said. Six schools in the city have had to close because of lead, she said, displacing 1,800 students." [NPR, 5/20/25]
June 2025: The Trump Administration Canceled Grants That Supported Victims Of Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “Across the country, organizations that help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault are facing a funding crisis like nothing they’ve seen before. Shortfalls in funding from the federal Victims of Crime Act, known as VOCA, are slashing budgets. In Wisconsin, some nonprofits have lost more than 80% or more of that funding. Although the VOCA cuts were expected, the Trump administration's pauses or cancellations of other grants and programs, firing of key staff and sweeping executive orders have compounded the situation. Some of the actions have been paused or reversed in court, but the uncertainty has caused chaos, advocates say. … One nonprofit in Wisconsin, Embrace, used a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to stabilize its 2025 budget, almost replacing the VOCA amount. Embrace's executive director, Katie Bement, estimated about one-quarter of staff costs are covered by the rapid rehousing grant. But the funding streams are very different. VOCA enabled Embrace to serve between 600 to 800 victims in-person annually, doing everything from changing locks to buying shoes for a survivor’s children. HUD funding is far less flexible — more than half must be spent on direct rental assistance — and allows Embrace to serve only 14 families, Bement said.” [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 6/18/25]
February 2025: 10 Federal Workers, Including At Least 3 Veterans, Were Fired At The VA Medical Center In Milwaukee. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “James Stancil had just walked into Zablocki VA Medical Center for second shift Monday. He put his backpack away, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat in on a five-minute meeting. Not 15 minutes later, his supervisor told him to check his email. [...] Stancil did more than order scalpels and alcohol wipes to the clinic. A U.S. Army veteran who served overseas from 1985 to 1989, he could connect to patients on a deeper level as a peer, as a widower, as someone in recovery from alcoholism. [...] Stancil was one of about 10 people fired Monday from the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. At least three, like Stancil, were veterans and all of them were technically still in their probationary period, which requires a yearlong commitment to the VA. One of his peers who was also terminated had one day remaining before they could be considered a career employee, a fact confirmed by Michele Malone, president of Local 3 AFGE, the union that represents Zablocki.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/25/25]
February 2025: Army Veteran Jim Stancil Said The Government Lied When It Cited Poor Performance Reviews As The Reason For Firing Him From The VA Medical Center In Milwaukee.
February 2025: Trump Administration Fired Disabled Combat Veteran Working For USDA In Wisconsin. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, "Rob, a disabled combat veteran, found out via email on Feb. 13 that he had been fired from his position at the Natural Resources Conservation Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rob requested WPR to only use his first name because he fears retaliation as he appeals his termination. Rob served for more than a decade in the U.S. Army, including in the 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed in 2003 to Iraq and in 2004 to Afghanistan. In 2005, he joined the honor guard at Arlington National Cemetery, performing military honors for late President Gerald Ford and thousands of fallen service members. [...] He and his wife reached out multiple times to the office of former Navy SEAL and Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, but Rob said that’s gone nowhere. He said his 10 years of military service counts toward time served in the federal government. WPR reached out to Van Orden’s office about Rob’s termination and veteran status. In a statement, a spokesperson said the office has reached out to him. 'Since he is a veteran, he was first contacted by the Congressman’s veterans liaison to ensure his well-being. Additionally, our agriculture staffer spoke with (Rob) today to gather more information on his situation. We are actively looking into ways to assist him,' the spokesperson said." [Wisconsin Public Radio, 3/5/25]