Washington, D.C. — A new analysis by the Center for American Progress shows that many of the Americans who will be hardest hit by President Donald Trump’s budget live in the very communities that supported him.
According to the analysis, in the rural and small-town counties that President Trump won, one-third of families live paycheck to paycheck—nearly 24 percent higher than in urban counties. Yet as Trump’s newly released budget underscores, the agenda that he and conservatives in Congress are advancing harms the very rural and small-town voters who were instrumental in electing him.
The column unpacks Trump’s plan to eliminate all funding to the Legal Services Corporation, or LSC, which would reduce access to justice for rural Americans. Its work is particularly important for rural communities and small towns, where legal representation is often lacking and which the LSC has identified as high-need areas.
Trump’s budget also drastically cuts or eliminates programs and funding that allow rural communities to repair crumbling housing stock; help seniors, veterans, and struggling individuals and families stay in their homes; and maintain critical infrastructure systems that maintain residents’ access to clean water and protect them from toxic waste.
“President Trump’s skinny budget shows that his agenda is hurting his own rural and small-town supporters, despite the fact that they are more likely to live paycheck to paycheck than voters in urban areas. His policies would undermine job prospects, health care, and basic living standards in their communities and jeopardize the safety and well-being of the very rural and small-town voters who elected him. This is particularly concerning in light of this week’s analysis from the Congressional Budget Office showing that Trumpcare would eliminate coverage for 24 million Americans by 2026,” said Katherine Gallagher Robbins, CAP Director of Family Policy.
The column contains state-by-state data comparing economic insecurity in small-town and rural counties Trump won with urban counties in those states. It reveals that in 39 out of 43 states that included rural and small-town counties that Trump won, families in these counties were more likely to live paycheck to paycheck than families in urban areas in the same state.
Click here to read “10 Ways President Trump’s Agenda Will Harm His Supporters in Rural and Small-Town America” by Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Rejane Frederick, and Rachel West.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Devon Kearns at [email protected] or 860.977.1928.