Kansas Economy at Risk
Trump Set Off a Five-Alarm Fire in the Kansas Economy
President Trump's proposed federal budget cuts and job elimination plans are a five-alarm fire for the Kansas economy. As the administration pushes forward with its reckless approach to slashing government spending, Kansas remains particularly vulnerable to the ripple effects from Trump’s slash and burn approach.
Kansas's economy has long benefited from federal employment and investment. With approximately 28,000 federal workers across the state in major facilities like Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth, and the USDA research centers, Trump’s budget cuts threaten the economic stability of many Kansas communities.
Agriculture, the backbone of Kansas's economy, faces significant challenges under the Trump/DOGE cuts. The USDA, already operating with reduced staffing following previous budget constraints, may see further reductions that could impact critical agricultural research and support programs. Kansas farmers depend on these services for everything from crop insurance to market development assistance. As global agricultural competition increases and climate change threatens farms across the state, Trump’s cuts threaten to push Kansas farms into crisis.
Defense spending may see reallocations rather than overall reductions, but the uncertainty creates anxiety for military communities like Junction City and Leavenworth. Any shift in military priorities could dramatically impact these areas where local economies have developed around base operations. When military families leave, they take their spending power with them, affecting everything from housing markets to local businesses.
Perhaps most concerning is the potential impact on rural Kansas. Federal programs supporting rural healthcare, broadband expansion, and infrastructure maintenance are likely targets for reduction. These cuts would disproportionately affect smaller communities already struggling with population decline and limited economic opportunities. As rural hospitals face closure and infrastructure deteriorates, the division between prosperous urban centers and struggling rural areas will only widen.
Kansas has dealt with the impact of Republican myths about trickle down economics before. Kansas itself experimented with dramatic tax cuts under Governor Brownback, resulting in budget shortfalls and reduced services rather than the promised economic boom. Kansans have rejected GOP imposed austerity measures before, and the time has come for us to stand strong and fight for the future of our economy.
State and local governments will face impossible choices as federal funding diminishes. Either essential services must be cut, or local taxes must increase to fill the gap. Neither option bodes well for Kansas families already feeling the pinch of inflation and economic uncertainty.
Kansans are already losing their jobs because of Trump’s economic slash and burn. Thousands of Kansans are now out of work because of cuts to AmeriCorps. Lost federal contracts have impacted the manufacturing sector in Kansas. Job losses have multiplier effects that extend far beyond the individuals directly affected. Each federal job supports additional positions in the community through consumer spending. When these jobs disappear, the effects cascade through local economies, affecting everything from retail to housing markets.
The recent wave of budget cuts and job eliminations proposed by Donald Trump’s administration threatens to deal a severe blow to the economy of Kansas, with Manhattan poised to suffer disproportionately. As a community deeply tied to federal employment and programs—from agriculture research at Kansas State University to support staff and operations at Fort Riley—the proposed reductions risk undermining the foundation of the local economy. Trump’s war on federal employees caused workers to lose their jobs at Manhattan’s NBAF. Slashing funding for agricultural research, education grants, and military support services not only jeopardizes thousands of local jobs but also undercuts the very sectors that have historically driven Manhattan’s stability and growth. With fewer federal dollars flowing into the community, local businesses that depend on university and military personnel will also face reduced demand, risking a ripple effect of economic contraction.
The human cost of Trump’s job cuts cannot be overstated. Job eliminations across federal institutions in the region could force skilled workers to leave Manhattan in search of opportunities elsewhere, weakening the city’s talent base and stalling long-term development. The loss of research funding could stall innovation at Kansas State University, undermining its national reputation and discouraging prospective students and faculty. These cuts threaten to erode the infrastructure and institutional support that have made Manhattan an educational and military hub in Kansas. At a time when rural communities are already grappling with population decline and economic uncertainty, these federal rollbacks represent not just fiscal policy, but a direct assault on the future of Manhattan and similar towns across the state.
As Kansans, we understand fiscal responsibility, but we also know the difference between prudent cost-cutting and brutal austerity. Donald Trump has launched a war on the Kansas economy, and it’s time for Kansans to fight back.
The issues in KS will be similar in every rural area in the US. It will additionally impact larger urban areas as they provide the more intensive, deadly and traumatic emergency care to both the urban, suburban and rural areas in each state. We the people aren’t isolated just because we live in different communities our medical services are all interconnected! It’s dishonorable, immoral and unethical abuse to the oath of office, to act as the voice of their voters will wants these cuts and those most harmed has been circumvented and usurped by the wealthy few. MAGA perpetuated their rise to power & these deathly cuts through pitting the working poor against each other. We the people must shoutout via calls, emails, letters, faxes, office visits and protests daily! Commit to 15 minutes of democratic action daily!