Federal Funding Cuts are Taking a Local Toll

The following will be an oversimplification, distilled for the sake of clarity. Details may be omitted, but that will not make the assertion incorrect.

Since taking office in January, President Trump has spent considerable time fiddling with the economy. Whether it was his as-of-yet unheeded calls to lower interest rates, the promise of tax cuts buoyed by tariffs, or the cutting and/or elimination of government spending and programs both during and after the DOGE days, he has been terribly busy bouncing the books around. His explanation – and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here – is that he wants to see money in the pockets of individuals, allowing them greater economic autonomy. As a basic theory, when looked at from a certain angle and a specific light, it sounds great. Occasionally, it may even look and sound feasible.

Except, of course, when it proves not to be.

I am neither qualified nor willing to speak broadly on the health and welfare of the economy. What I can do, however, is point out a specific example of Trump’s big chop economics causing significant harm in our own back yard.

A few months ago, as part of his proposed budget, Trump eliminated funding to the Nita M. Lowery 21^st Century Community Learning Centers Program – the largest federal conduit for funding afterschool and summer education programs. The budget passed and as a result, as of July 1, that funding no longer exists. Countless programs – and the students they serve – have been impacted.

It's easy, of course, to brush this off. It doesn’t affect us. It doesn’t affect our community. It exists more as an abstract than an issue. But here is the thing. It does affect us, our community, and we will feel this loss in a very real way.

According to its 2024 Annual Report, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta projected a 2025 budget of more than $8.5 million. More than 75 percent of those funds, approximately $6.2 million, comes from grants and government funding and almost half of that total, approximately $3 million, is 21^st Century Community Center funding. For those who got a little lost in the math, that is more than one-third of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta budget and the funds earmarked for its most vital educational programs.

Not good.

I understand that the perception of Boys & Girls Clubs, for many, is that it is an organization that perhaps doesn’t require the kind of money it has historically received. For many, it is seen as an endowed afterschool destination, a place for school-age children to gather after school lets out and before parents return home from work. It’s a place for ping-pong and fruit punch on a hot day. Certainly, there are expenses incurred – but $85 million? I know. It seems like a lot.

But here’s the thing. Boys & Girls Clubs are not daycares. They are not a place where kids are corralled. They are focused – and robust – educational programs that serve children that might otherwise find such services difficult to access and engage with. It’s a place where studying is mandated and where learning how to study is foundational. Here’s a little more math, according to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta.

• During the school year, more than 6500 students take part in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta programs across 14 locations in five counties.

• More than 1300 Augusta-area kids attend Boys & Girls Clubs during the summer.

• Approximately 90 percent of students that participate in programs make mostly A’s or B’s in school.

• For every dollar spent on programs, more than $9 is returned un current and future earnings.

That’s real impact – and not the sort of impact expected from a program focused solely on child care.

So here is the question – how does Boys & Girls Club of Greater Augusta make up this significant shortfall. Can it? While shaking fist in frustration might feel good, it will do little to pay for lost programming. I suppose, theoretically, some of that extra cash we are supposed to find once the economy booms could and should be funneled, in the form of donations, to organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs. But do we think that will happen? Perhaps to some degree – people do love a tax deduction – but certainly not with the sort of scope and, more importantly, predictability a federal program can ensure.

It's a conundrum for sure. What I suspect is that we will see Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as other organizations affected by government cuts, beating the streets in a far more visible way. I presume they will develop and devise new methodologies for cutting corners and running leaner machines. I also think many of these organizations and/or programs, finding it too expensive to continue without federal funding, will disappear.

And in that eventuality, we all pay.