Jennifer Balkcom: DOGE Hurt Helene Recovery By Cutting Funding For Local Food Banks And Volunteers, Serving Affected Areas, Threatening To Close A Local Office Giving Farmers Aid, And Firing Forestry Employees Responsible For Recovery Efforts

March 2025: DOGE Cut Funding For The Largest Food Bank In NC-11 And Others Serving Areas Affected By Helene, Which Caused A Multi-Million Dollar Funding Shortfall And Ripple Effects For Local Farmers

Headline: “Western NC Food Banks, Pantries In Helene-Ravaged Communities See Federal Funding Cuts.” [Charlotte Observer, 3/19/25]

Headline: “NC Food Banks, Schools And Farmers Take A Hit After Trump Administration Slashes Funding.” [Charlotte Observer, 3/18/25]

Headline: “NC Farmer Adjusts To Challenges After USDA Cuts That Impacts Food Banks, Schools: 'In Disbelief.’” [WLOS, 3/14/25]

USDA Through The Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Announced More Than $1 Billion In Cuts To The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, Which Provides Federal Funding For Food Banks To Purchase Food From Local Farmers. “USDA announced the cuts Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s mass restructuring of federal agencies through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk. The more than $1 billion in cuts impact the Local Food for Schools program, which provides federal funding for states and localities to provide healthy foods from local farms to public schools, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which provides federal funding for food banks to purchase food from local farmers, USA Today reported.” [Bethesda, 3/13/25]

Food Banks, Including MANNA Foodbank, Serving Communities Impacted By Helene Faced “A Multi-Million Dollar Funding Gap” After The Trump Administration Cancelled The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. “Still reeling from Helene, the federal government’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program helped knit together the local supply chain, food bank leaders say. The food banks bought directly from locally owned farms to secure healthy produce, dairy and meat for families in need. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in early March it canceled the LFPA, Politico reported. The cuts will affect schools too, with the USDA also cutting hundreds of millions from a similar program. Now, MANNA FoodBank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC say they’re facing a multi-million dollar funding gap as they work to serve communities still recovering from the September tropical storm that caused widespread devastation.” [Charlotte Observer, 3/19/25]

• MANNA Foodbank Was “The Largest Food Bank Serving North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.” “‘This isn’t the time to be cutting SNAP, Medicaid and other programs from families that are already struggling and are still suffering from the trauma and loss of Hurricane Helene,’ Micah Chrisman, spokesman

for MANNA FoodBank, the largest food bank serving Edwards’s congressional district.” [Asheville Watchdog, 5/25/25]

• North Carolina Was Set To Receive Over $11.4 Million From The Program. “North Carolina was poised to receive more than $11.4 million in funding through the LFPA program, according to MANNA’s statement. The Asheville-based group, which serves 16 counties in Western North Carolina, received about $1.3 million through the program last year.” [Charlotte Observer, 3/19/25]

MANNA FoodBank CEO: “Losing This Support Is Devastating, Not Merely Because Of The Financial Setback, But Because It Directly Affects An Essential Lifeline Connecting Agriculture, Regional Economic Well-Being, And The Health Of WNC Families.” [Charlotte Observer, 3/19/25]

March 2025: DOGE Threatened To Terminate The Lease For A Farm Service Agency Building In Hendersonville Even Though The Office Played A Key Continuing Role In Distributing Relief To Farmers After Helene

Headline: “Farm Service Agency Office Surrounded By Helene-Impacted Farms To Be Terminated, DOGE Says.” [Asheville Citizen Times, 3/7/25]

March 2025: Trump Administration Terminated The Lease For A Farm Service Agency (FSA) Building In Hendersonville, Even Though Farmers Were Still Recovering From Helene. “Even as farmers recover from record flooding sustained during Tropical Storm Helene, the Trump administration has indicated it will terminate the lease of the Farm Service Agency office located in the heart of Western North Carolina's apple orchards and fruit farms in Henderson County. The termination of the lease in Hendersonville will affect both the FSA and the Henderson County Soil and Conservation offices. Helene caused an estimated $4.9 billion in damages to Western North Carolina agriculture, and an estimated $135 million in damages in Henderson County, the Hendersonville Times News reported Feb. 26.” [Asheville Citizen Times, 3/7/25]

A Local Official With The NC Cooperative Extensive “Said He Was ‘Very Concerned’ About Possible Cuts To The FSA, Given That Most Of The Aid Given To Farmers After Helene Has Been Through The Agency.” “Henderson County Extension Director for NC Cooperative Extension Terry Kelley said he was ‘very concerned’ about possible cuts to the FSA, given that most of the aid given to farmers after Helene has been through the agency. Most of the money allocated for farm recovery from Congress is still waiting to be distributed and the ‘most logical’ way to distribute would be through the FSA, Kelley said. ‘I'm very much afraid that if something doesn't happen to get a little bit more to our growers that a lot of them are going to be left in bad shape,’ Kelley said. The hope is that the FSA would have a new building by the end of August, Kelley said.” [Asheville Citizen Times, 3/7/25]

• Asheville Citizen Times: “Most Of The Money Allocated For Farm Recovery From Congress Is Still Waiting To Be Distributed.” “Henderson County Extension Director for NC Cooperative Extension Terry Kelley said he was ‘very concerned’ about possible cuts to the FSA, given that most of the aid given to farmers after Helene has been through the agency. Most of the money allocated for farm recovery from Congress is still waiting to be distributed and the ‘most logical’ way to distribute would be through the FSA, Kelley said.” [Asheville Citizen Times, 3/7/25]

The Farm Service Agency Building In Hendersonville Was Removed From The DOGE Wall of Receipts In May 2025. “As of May 21, the Hendersonville office was still listed for lease termination, along with 562 other offices on the Wall of Receipts. On May 28, Hendersonville FSA was no longer listed, and the total number of lease terminations had shrunk to 494. This all comes in the midst of Elon Musk’s reported departure from the Trump administration. Comparing the current DOGE list to previous Successful Farming reporting, more than 70 USDA agency offices have been quietly removed from the Wall of Receipts. Over half are FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices, which often work the most closely with farmers.” [Successful Farming, 5/29/25]

DOGE Cut Funding For AmeriCorps, Which Forced Volunteers To Abandon Helene Recovery

April 2025: The Trump Administration Cut Funding For AmeriCorps, Forcing Volunteers To Abandon Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts And Return Home The Following Morning. “More than 50 young workers in a federal program helping Western North Carolina residents rebuild after Tropical Storm Helene were abruptly pulled from their assignments April 15, leaving local nonprofits scrambling to fill the gaps. The sudden work stoppage was billed as one of the Trump administration’s latest efforts to shrink the federal government. AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps told workers April 15 they would exit the program early and must leave town — reporting back to their Louisiana campus — by the next morning, according to local volunteers working with the members and an email obtained by USA TODAY. The message says the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost cutting initiatives impacted its ‘ability to sustain program operations.’ Members have been placed into administrative hold and will be formally dismissed on April 30.” [Asheville Citizen-Times, 4/23/25]

DOGE Terminated About 20 Forest Service Employees, Threatening Helene Recovery Efforts And Future Wildfire Response

HEADLINE: “US Forest Service Worker Firings Threaten Helene Recovery In WNC, Workers Say.” [Asheville Citizen Times, 2/18/25]

February 2025: The Trump Administration’s Firing Of Roughly 20 Forest Service Employees In Western North Carolina Put Helene Recovery Efforts At Risk Along With Future Wildfire Response. "For Western North Carolina, the terminations come less than five months after Tropical Storm ripped through the region, damaging more than 185,000 acres of national forest, about 20% of the total acreage. The storm, which the agency expects will take years to recover from, hit Pisgah National Forest particularly hard, damaging facilities and infrastructure like roadways, as well as downing trees throughout its 500,000 acres, increasing wildfire risk. [...] A program manager with the U.S. Forest Service who spoke to the Citizen Times on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from her employer, said the recent firings are a huge strain on the already understaffed agency and pose a major threat to the Helene recovery effort and future wildfire response. [...] Many U.S. Forest Service employees fired over the weekend told the Citizen Times that performance was cited in the letters they received, even though they all received good evaluations, they said. Sources familiar with the terminations said nearly 20 people working in the region had been affected so far." [Asheville Citizen Times, 2/18/25]