Trump's spending cuts are hitting communities of his supporters

Consider This from NPR

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🗓️ 5 May 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

President Trump's rapid-fire spending cuts have affected communities all over the country–including strongholds of his supporters.

One of them is Rising Sun, Maryland. The town had won two FEMA grants designed to mitigate the effects of catastrophic flooding. And though the area voted overwhelmingly to support Trump's re-election, his administration has now cancelled the program that funded those grants.

Across the state in the Trump-voting town of Emmitsburg, Maryland, a similar scenario is playing out. The town is home to the National Fire Academy–a sort of national war college for training firefighters in America. In March, the Trump administration abruptly cancelled classes at the academy. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports that locals are concerned about how that will affect the town's economy–and emergency preparedness across the country.

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0:00.0	A quick note before we start today's show. You may have heard that President Trump has issued an executive order seeking to block all federal funding to NPR. This is the latest in a series of threats to media organizations across the country. Whatever changes this action brings, NPR's commitment to reporting the news without fear or favor will never change. Even as paywalls rise elsewhere, we offer this vital resource to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. This is a pivotal moment. It's more important than ever that each supporter who can contribute comes together to pitch in. Please give as much as you are able. Support the news and programming you and millions of other people rely on by visiting donate.npr.org. And if you already support us by subscribing to NPR Plus or by giving directly, thank you. Your support means so much to us now more than ever.
0:57.2	You help make NPR shows freely available to everyone. We are proud to do this work for you and with you.
1:05.5	Now, on to the episode.
1:12.8	Calvin Bonnenberger is the town administrator of Rising Sun, Maryland.
1:17.9	He recently gave NPR a tour of the Sun Valley Mobile Home Park.
1:21.2	This is all low-income housing, and the flood level is up to the roofline of all of these properties.
1:29.7	He was there with Rebecca Herscher, a correspondent with NPR's climate desk,
1:33.9	and he was showing her the impact of floods that have hit this area again and again.
1:39.3	In 2021, the flooding was so dangerous that people had to be rescued from their homes.
1:44.2	We're talking about water that was about this high.
1:47.4	Like three feet.
1:49.2	To help its flooding problems, rising sun applied for federal funding and won two grants
1:54.1	from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA.
1:57.5	One, to help relocate the mobile home residents and turn the area into a park,
2:02.5	and another to fix the town's wastewater treatment system, which overflows in heavy rains,
2:07.6	sending contaminated water into nearby streams.
2:10.1	Our sewer plant is going to continue to overflow, and there has to be money to resolve it.
2:17.2	We don't have the money to resolve it. That's what this money is for.
2:21.6	This is a no-brainer. But now the money is gone. The Trump administration canceled the program that
2:27.7	funded the grants. That's frustrating for Bonnenberger. This area voted overwhelmingly for President
2:33.6	Trump. And Bonenberger said he area voted overwhelmingly for President Trump.
2:38.3	And Bonnenberger said he supported efforts to cut waste in government spending.
	...

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