By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
President Donald Trump’s federal funding cuts have proven to be anything but beautiful for those committed to providing services for some of the country’s most marginalized people.
The ugly reality of recent cuts is drawing sharp criticism from advocates who warn of devastating impacts on critical community programs. Experts call the cuts “short-sighted” and argue that reductions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars threaten public safety, health, and social stability, leaving vulnerable populations without essential services.
Several participated in a virtual briefing last week on the impact of Trump’s cuts on community health and safety. The discussion was hosted by the Wren Collective, a social justice strategic advising firm focused on criminal justice reform.
President Trump’s April federal grant freeze and his One Big Beautiful Bill, which he signed into law July 4, took center stage.
“The Department of Justice cut over $820 million in grants, so almost a billion dollars worth of funding to organizations across the country, over 200 named organizations, and then below that, many of those organizations were giving money and subgrants to smaller, community-based organizations,” said Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships at Vera Institute of Justice and director of Vera Action. “So well over 500 organizations across the country were impacted by these cuts.”
The administration’s dubbing these community-based organizations as part of a “woke agenda,” is “short-sighted” and counterproductive, leaders say.
“Losing funding from these organizations actually impacts local governments as well,” Rahman said. “We have heard in the aftermath, local government say, ‘This has been really hard for us to do our work if we don’t have recovery centers that have lost their funding; if we don’t have alternatives to incarceration, to have options other than the jail that is already overcrowded and dangerous; or that we’ve had to shut down treatment centers or community-based partners who actually do the work to intervene in violence.’ So the impacts are very real. They are being felt.”
Jamila Hodge, executive director of Equal Justice USA, addressed the severe blow to gun violence prevention programs, pointing out the historic investment in community violence intervention efforts that has led to significant reductions in homicides in cities like Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, and Newark, New Jersey. Such initiatives tackle deeper issues like poverty, trauma and mental health among disengaged youth.
“The programs that were cut, the funding that was taken, are programs that are literally addressing the drivers,” Hodge said.
Dr. William Weber, a Chicago-based emergency room physician and medical director of the Medical Justice Alliance, noted the elimination of an $11 billion grant focused on substance use disorders and mental health. These COVID-era grants were crucial in addressing the rise in unintentional overdoses.
“Cutting these grants makes it very dangerous and difficult for patients to get access to this type of support,” Dr. Weber said.
Expected Medicaid cuts of 10%-20% in most states will impose significant burdens on Medicaid enrollment and maintenance, Dr. Weber added, warning of the long-term consequences. Medicaid is Medi-Cal in California.
“If people are not getting preventative care that they need, their untreated diabetes or high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which they might not feel today or in five or 10 years, is going to be that heart attack or it’s going to be that massive stroke. This is already on top of Medicare reimbursement cuts over the last year or two that have already really stretched hospitals and physicians taking care of these patients.”
Trump’s “Beautiful Bill” includes provisions that reduce federal spending on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces, still widely referred to as “Obamacare.”
Trump’s infamous line from his pre-presidential reality TV show, “The Apprentice,” essentially was applied to those he supervises in his return to the Oval Office. Organizations were given little to no notice of terminations and immediate loss of access to funds.
Notification came in the form of an email stating that they were being terminated, effective immediately, “because the work you do is no longer in alignment with this administration’s priorities.” The email stated the current administration’s priorities as “reducing violent crime, supporting law enforcement, protecting America’s children and protecting victims of crime.”
While the letter was intended to double down on Trump’s MAGA stance, Hodge points out that many of the programs that have been cut actually address those priorities. Programs that show up at hospitals to serve victims of gunshot wounds, programs that show up at homicide scenes to support families and aid in community deescalation.
“These aren’t simple issues,” Hodge said. “They require a variety of responses and to have this work we have seen over these last several years that has been proven to be successful in saving lives radically cut, even in the midst of people literally doing the work, no longer able to have to have to staff, having to terminate services with no preparation, no window, no transition, is devastating.”
Despite the challenges, experts urge active engagement. Robin emphasized the importance of educating and organizing at the local level, advocating for what truly works to prevent crime and stop violence in local elections. Hodge reinforced the need to make noise and engage in conversations with family, friends, and neighbors to increase public pushback.
Tara Stutsman, a senior campaign strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union, called for cross-disciplinary collaboration among organizations to support impacted programs through mutual aid.
“That is going to be huge to help them continue to operate in this really challenging environment, and then the individual engagement with the democratic process will help fund these in the future.”
