Summary
Federal funding cuts under Trump, including a $500 million program for food banks to buy local produce, are hitting rural communities like Rainelle, West Virginia, especially hard.
Dairy producer Trey Yates lost a key contract with Mountaineer Food Bank, threatening his business. Similar stories emerged from other small farmers relying on USDA grants now eliminated.
West Virginia, where Trump won 70% of the vote, relies on federal funds for over half its state budget.
Critics warn cuts will deepen poverty, strain schools, and devastate local agriculture-dependent economies.
I live in a very rural part of the country, my job is in the mining industry and it’s basically tied to the price of minerals and oil. I have a feeling my job and town will be hit extremely hard by all of Donny’s ideas.