budget cuts

The agricultural community is feeling the strain as state lawmakers consider budget cuts and tax hikes. This could change the landscape of farming in Washington.

Throughout much of 2025, the value of federally funded research has come under scrutiny, not only from members of the Trump Administration, but others across the country that question how the dollars are being spent.

Washington State University, like many other colleges and universities across the country, is facing a growing budget deficit.

Congress is considering significant cuts to funding for the Medicaid program, as well as cuts to benefits in the Affordable Care Act that could impact many rural Americans.  Don Hannaford, vice president for public policy at Rural Minds, which he describes as a nonprofit with the vision of a rural America with no more silence, suffering, or stigma surrounding mental illness, said rural Americans m

House Ag Chair GT Thompson said last week the Trump Tax Bill now headed to the Senate will finally shore up the farm safety net.  While most of last week’s House debate on the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” focused on SNAP and Medicaid savings opposed by Democrats, Thompson highlighted the bill’s improved farm safety net.   “The One Big Beautiful Bill ma...

Several Senate Democrats say they are concerned that federal staffing cuts could impact firefighting efforts this summer.  Senators from Oregon and Washington say some firefighters and support staff are gone from the Forest Service.  Oregon’...

Top House Ag Democrat Angie Craig said her farmers claim Farm Service Agency offices are way understaffed, despite USDA Secretary Rollins’ vow to keep all FSA offices open.  Craig was asked if Secretary Rollins could keep all FSA offices open when 11-hundred FSA staffers have taken deferred resignation buyouts.   “I had...

Due to federal cuts and changes in D.C., Washington State University’s Bread Lab announced last month it has been ordered to cease spending a five-year, $10 million Soil to Society grant.  The funding came through the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agriculture Systems program.  WSU said they were in yea...

More than 15,000 USDA employees have taken one of the Trump administration's two financial incentive offers to leave the agency.  According to Reuters, the sum represents about 15% of the USDA's total workforce.   President Trump's administration has offered federal employees several months of pay and benefits if they opt to leave their jobs as part of his effort to shrink the federal workforce.  

Earlier this month, thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees were fired, as part of an effort to downsize the federal government.  Isabella Isaksen was among those let go… and says the positions lost support wildfire efforts and other important work across Oregon.   “Permit...