Kansas City, Mo. – During his 28 years of working for the federal government, Siaggi Agnhorio provided day care to American soldiers, trained employees, and provided oversight of the safety net program.
Public Services took her from Germany to Alaska, Kansas City, Missouri, and last year she moved to promote her for years.
But when she reported to a federal building downtown for work one day last month, her access card didn’t work. After a colleague let her into the building, she checked her emails. Her entire office was let go of the latest massive shooting ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The 46-year-old single mother has cancelled her apartment lease and is selling new furniture, and may have to pull her daughter out of college. She wonders what will happen to the risky population who helped her team serve in administration for children and families who are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“The lives of not just me, but all these people are upside down,” Giagnorio said.
The impact of Trump’s appointee and Elon Musk’s government efficiency cuts are all around the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is a major hub of federal agencies about 1,000 miles from Washington, once axed array of public health, environment, diversity, food aid and other programs, promised to the Yepadie area.
With nearly 30,000 workers, the federal government is the largest employer in the region. One long-time economic researcher in Kansas City said he believes the area could lose 6,000 well-paid federal jobs, which would wipe out thousands of other jobs in the services industry.
IRS workers said thousands of colleagues were afraid they would lose their jobs even if they gave them a refund of overtime processing tax in a building that was busy enough to find a desk. Under pressure, hundreds more last week agreed to retire early or buy it out.
“We’re a longtime IRS customer service representative and president of the union representing local workers,” said Shannon Ellis, a union that represents the local workers.
By Thursday, at least 238 Kansas City workers were expected to leave the agency in the coming weeks after receiving offers to buy. Ellis noted that many of the same workers are said to be essential and are required to work about seven days a week during tax season.
The US Department of Agriculture grant cancellation has disrupted plans for Black districts historically to expand programs to grow fresh produce in the food desert. A nearby pantry reduced monthly grocery allocations for those in need after federal cuts looted food banks.
Urban farmer Rosie Warren grew 2,500 pounds of fruit and vegetables in her community garden last year, helping to feed the Ivan Ho district, where many black families are concentrated under the housing segregation policy of most of the 20th century.
Warren harvested greens, potatoes and watermelons as part of an effort to address food insecurity and health concerns in their neighborhoods, challenging devastation, crime and poverty. She made ecs last fall when USDA awarded a three-year $130,000 grant to the Neighborhood Council, expanding the gardens and farmers markets serving the community.
In February, the council received a notice to end the grant. The USDA determined that it would no longer affect the agency’s priorities regarding diversity, equity and inclusion programs and activities.
“What would you do if you don’t support providing access to food to people who don’t have it? Does this not make your job easier?” she said. “I think that’s ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense.”
The withdrawal of federal funds for new lab equipment and vaccines means cities may not be ready for the next pandemic.
The Kansas City Health Bureau’s lab is in severe need of upgrades using equipment that they have been dating when the building opened in the 1990s.
One underground space is water damaged and rarely used. Another device has very insufficient equipment, and the city has to ship samples to a state laboratory 150 miles away, causing inefficiency and delayed response times waiting for results.
But funds for the lab upgrade were suddenly eliminated last month as part of the Trump administration’s $11.4 billion federal grant cancellation to the state for public health.
A spokesman for HHS said miniaturization of agencies, including job cuts and departmental integration, will save money and make the organization more efficient. Regarding the $11.4 billion grant cut, a spokesman said, “HHS will not waste billions of taxpayer dollars in response to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans have been moving for years.”
The IRS provided a similar rationale for downsizing, saying it ultimately brings about process improvements that will serve the public more efficiently.
Musk said last year that Trump’s budget cuts caused “temporary difficulties” and would soon put the economy on a stronger footing.
One local economic researcher said it remains unclear how deep the challenges will be in Kansas City.
Frank Lenk, director of the Economic Development Bureau for Mid America Regional Council, a nonprofit for city and county governments in the Kansas City area, said: “It will definitely remove some of the steam from the local economy.”
Trump believes in clumsy by helping to end “a terrible waste of taxpayers’ dollars,” saving billions of dollars to improve the country’s finances.
The White House did not answer questions about Kansas City. However, Trump recently said he would invite the Kansas City chief to the White House to make up for the celebration of his 2020 Super Bowl victory, which was cancelled during the pandemic.