DOGE Cuts Grant for Fighting Food Insecurity in Rural Kansas

Due to funding cuts by DOGE, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment lost a $1 million federal grant to address food insecurity in two counties with poverty rates above national and state averages, reports the Topeka Capital-Journal:

Jill Bronaugh, a KDHE spokesperson, said the agency was “formally notified of the abrupt termination” on May 7.

“This unexpected action taken by the Trump administration, which does not allow for the recovery of previously committed funds, has had an immediate and significant impact on KDHE’s ability to carry out vital public health work directly benefiting Kansans in rural communities,” Bronaugh said in a May 21 email.

Bronaugh told The Capital-Journal the $1 million grant was to address food insecurity in Labette and Montgomery counties, which have “poverty rates above the state average and a higher population of individuals who lack secure access to sufficient amounts of food.”