As federal cuts hit Wisconsin residents, one group pitches in to help

MADISON, Wis. (Public News Service) – Communities in Wisconsin are feeling the widespread effects of federal cuts and some organizations are pitching in to help those who have experienced funding freezes and mass layoffs.

Rural areas depend heavily on federal funds for vital services like health care, education and infrastructure. Farmers who were counting on federal grant reimbursements are reeling from payment delays, waiting, in some cases, for up to $70,000.

Julie Bomar, executive director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, said nonprofits like hers are seeing some of their grant funding slashed for diversity-related programs.

“Something changes about every day with this, and it’s a really crazy, chaotic time both for nonprofits like ours but also for the farmers that we work with,” Bomar explained. “The uncertainty is really critical right now.”

She noted the Farmers Union held a town meeting last week so elected officials could hear firsthand from community members about what they are experiencing. The Trump administration said the federal cuts are an effort to optimize efficiency and clean up what it calls “fraud and waste.”

There are about 18,000 federal employees in Wisconsin. The Department of Government Efficiency website shows federal offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and Merrill are set to be terminated or consolidated.

Bomar pointed out some Wisconsin workers at agencies like the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, the National Conservation Resource Service, Farm Service Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have already lost their jobs. She added it is taking a critical toll, citing a report of a former NRCS employee who took their own life after being fired.

“(We are) trying to then connect people with farmer mental health resources so that they can also be talking to people and finding the support that they need to get through this chaos,” Bomar stressed.

The cuts come as the country is already grappling with a mental health crisis with limited resources. Bomar underscored she gets calls and messages daily from people sharing how they and their families are being affected and said the Wisconsin Farmers Union will keep looking for ways to help them.