Federal funding cuts under the Trump administration have severely impacted small agricultural businesses and food banks in West Virginia. These cuts are part of a broader rollback of government spending, particularly affecting programs like the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which had supported local farmers and food producers. 

The practice of the U.S. government granting either land or money to state and local governments dates back more than 200 years, as a way to promote action deemed to be in the national interest. These pass-through grants boomed in the 1960s under President Lyndon B. Johnson, whose domestic agenda aimed to remake America by ending poverty—which led to significantly expanded funding into education, housing and food access.

Today, pass-through funding allows federal agencies to tap into local expertise and knowledge as well as help the federal government keep its own staffing levels down, says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs. Pass-throughs are a particularly effective approach when it comes to agriculture, she says.

Read more in the Reuters article, “Trump funding cuts ripple through rural America.”