Government, Politics & Issues

Here’s how President Trump’s policies are shaping the St. Louis region

St. Louis Public Radio | By Staff Reports

Published May 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT

A Donald Trump supporter cheers as the former president speaks about transgender people on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at a “Save America!” Rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon, Ill. — President Donald Trump speaks in 2022 at a rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon, Illinois.

President Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office on April 30. Many of his initial actions in office made a mark on the St. Louis region and Missouri and Illinois.

Over the past several months, St. Louis Public Radio’s reporters have followed how Trump’s executive orders, governmental spending moves and other actions have affected people across the St. Louis region and around the two states.

Here are those stories:

Economy & Business

Shayn Prapaisilp, chief operating officer for STJ Holdings Group which operates several various grocery and food establishments throughout the region, on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, at Jay International Food Co on South Grand.

Brian Munoz

St. Louis Public Radio

Economy & Business

How Trump’s tariffs will impact a St. Louis grocer

Miya Norfleet

Trump’s tariff announcement has already shocked the global market. How will it impact St. Louis-area international grocers?

Will flowers fall to Trump's tariffs? St. Louis-grown blooms could be the answer
By Marissanne Lewis-Thompson
April 30, 2025

Trump's tariffs won't get him what he wants, UMSL researcher says
By Eric Schmid
April 21, 2025

Trump’s new tariffs are likely to make inflation jump, Fed governor says
By Eric Schmid
April 15, 2025

Where else could Trump's tariffs hit St. Louis? Let's look at bikes and board games
By Chad Davis
April 8, 2025

Boeing wins the contract to build the next-generation F-47 fighter jet
By Eric Schmid and Will Bauer
March 21, 2025

What do looming federal job cuts mean for the St. Louis area’s economy?
By Will Bauer
March 3, 2025

Environment

Ameren Missouri’s Labadie coal-fired power plant along the Missouri River seen during a Lighthawk flight on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Franklina County.

Eric Lee

St. Louis Public Radio

Health, Science & Environment

Ameren asks for coal plant air pollution reprieve from Trump — and gets it

Kate Grumke

The Labadie Energy Center and the Sioux Energy Center will have two extra years to limit emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.

Regional Climate Centers shut down abruptly last week. Here's why it matters
By Héctor Alejandro Arzate of Harvest Public Media
April 23, 2025

EPA chief hopes a change to what's protected under the Clean Water Act can win over farmers
By Kate Grumke
April 7, 2025

DOGE cuts an effort to plant thousands of trees in St. Louis, citing anti-DEI push
By Andrea Y. Henderson
April 2, 2025

Federal cuts to Missouri and Illinois national forests have unclear impact
By Jonathan Ahl
Feb. 26, 2025

Trump’s EPA pick promises to clean up radioactive waste in West Lake Landfill
By Kate Grumke
Published Jan. 29, 2025

Education

A sign for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Edwardsville.

Brian Munoz

St. Louis Public Radio

News Briefs

Trump administration revokes visas for over 25 students in the St. Louis area

Andrea Y. Henderson

Officials at Southern University of Illinois Edwardsville and Webster University are working with international students who have had their visas revoked to help them finish their degrees in their home countries.

WashU staff and students work against the clock to preserve disappearing federal data
By Hiba Ahmad
May 1, 2025

AmeriCorps workers in Metro East told to stay home after DOGE cuts to funding
By Teri Maddox of the Belleville News-Democrat
April 30, 2025

Midwest schools face civil rights investigations. Trump’s Education Department cuts may end them
By Kavahn Mansouri of the Midwest Newsroom
April 2, 2025

St. Louis-area schools fear uncertainty after further Trump education cuts
By Hiba Ahmad and Madison Lammert
March 21, 2025

Student activists prepare for the fight ahead as federal crackdown on protests intensifies
By Emily Woodbury
March 12, 2025

Ritenour School District pays for electric school buses after Trump freeze lifts
By Kate Grumke
Feb. 21, 2025

Budzinski, teachers unions are worried about Trump's plan to ax Education Department
By Will Bauer
Feb. 17, 2025

Federal cuts to research grants could be ‘devastating’ for Missouri schools
By Sarah Fentem
Feb. 13, 2025

Trump clean energy pause puts St. Louis school district's electric buses in limbo
By Kate Grumke
Feb. 3, 2025

Too many Midwest kids would lose free school meals under potential federal budget cut
By Kate Grumke
Jan. 29, 2025

Arts & Culture

A child's outfit on display in the exhibit "The Life of Kids Clothes" at the Missouri History Museum. The outfit is of dark blue material, with gold-colored buttons and a large red ribbon.

Danny Wicentowski

Culture & History

A new exhibit spotlights Missouri artifacts. Budget cuts make preserving them harder

Danny Wicentowski

The Missouri Historical Society lost $250,000 in grants cut by the Trump administration.

Gateway Arch National Park worker says employees are being 'terrorized' by job cuts
By Abby Llorico
Feb. 27, 2025

Health and Health Care

A sign advertising free COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, at the John C. Murphy Health Center in Berkeley, Mo. The St. Louis County Health Department is applying to get a special status for this clinic and two others, which would give them additional funding.

Tristen Rouse

St. Louis Public Radio

Health, Science & Environment

Federal government cuts Missouri vaccine funds as immunizations dip

Sarah Fentem

DHSS distributed the federal money in the form of grants and contracts to organizations such as the Missouri Immunization Coalition, which educates and advocates for immunizations.

St. Louis health director warns of falling vaccination rates, federal cuts
By Sarah Fentem
March 7, 2025

St. Louis FDA lab dodges federal DOGE threat, will remain open
By Sarah Fentem
March 6, 2025

Congressman tells Metro East leaders cuts to Medicaid, Social Security will hurt residents
By Teri Maddox of the Belleville News-Democrat
March 10, 2025

Missouri U.S. Rep. Burlison believes colleagues shouldn’t cower from paring Medicaid
By Jason Rosenbaum
March 10, 2025

Missouri budget in peril if Congress slashes federal funding to state Medicaid expansion
By Jason Rosenbaum
Feb. 25, 2025

Government & Politics

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, gives an address during the annual Missouri GOP Lincoln Days at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel on Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Maryland Heights.

Brian Munoz

St. Louis Public Radio

Government, Politics & Issues

Missouri Republicans stick with Trump even as they warily watch his federal job cuts

Jason Rosenbaum

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said he’s talked to President Trump about keeping the state’s priorities intact as cuts are made.

Trump news deluge sours some St. Louis-area residents on social media, gets others hooked
By Jason Rosenbaum
April 7, 2025

Former Missouri GOP Chairman Ed Martin’s U.S. attorney nomination hits snag
By Jason Rosenbaum
April 2, 2025

Republicans are optimistic they can withstand a midterm slump
By Jason Rosenbaum
Published March 9, 2025

Josh Hawley says DOGE needs to comply with the law
By Leila Fadel of NPR
Feb. 27, 2025

National Democratic Party chairman says Missouri Democrats still matter
By Jason Rosenbaum
Feb. 24, 2025

Bell, Budzinski say federal cuts to transportation funding will impact pending projects
By Lacretia Wimbley
Feb. 20, 2025

Former Missouri GOP Chairman Martin in line for high-profile U.S. attorney post in D.C.
By Jason Rosenbaum
Feb. 19, 2025

Pritzker unveils $55.2 billion budget with no new taxes, compares Trump playbook to the Nazi movement
By Tina Sfondeles, Mitchell Armentrout, George Wiebe of the Chicago Sun-Times and Will Bauer
Feb. 19, 2025

Pritzker must address Illinois' $3.2 billion deficit amid federal funding uncertainty
By Ben Szalinski of Capitol News Illinois
Feb. 14, 2025

Jones: Trump's federal spending cuts, grant freezes could hit St. Louis hard
By Lacretia Wimbley
Feb. 13, 2025

$89.5 million in flood relief moves forward in St. Clair County after Trump stops freeze
By Will Bauer
Jan. 29, 2025

Trump's federal funding freeze to disrupt vast array of programs; Illinois shut out of Medicaid
By Tina Sfondeles, Mitchell Armentrout, Lynn Sweet, Fran Spielman of the Chicago Sun-Times
Jan. 28, 2025

Identity & Issues

Veterans and advocates for veterans gathered outside the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital on Friday, March 14, 2025. Demonstrators carried signs calling for President Donald Trump, Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and Elon Musk to protect veterans following calls to cut 80,000 jobs.

Chad Davis

St. Louis Public Radio

Government, Politics & Issues

Hundreds of veterans protest Trump, Musk and VA cuts outside veterans hospital

Chad Davis

Veterans, active-duty service members and others gather to protest potential federal cuts.

St. Louis May Day protesters decry harsh Trump administration policies affecting workers
By Andrea Y. Henderson
May 1, 2025

‘I refuse to be unseen’: Trans rights advocates march in St. Louis amid Trump restrictions
By Kate Grumke
April 1, 2025

Federal labor union members rally in Florissant against DOGE job terminations
By Lacretia Wimbley
March 8, 2025

SLU, WashU researchers among those at state Capitol protesting science funding cuts
By Evy Lewis
March 7, 2025

Missouri governor signs executive order barring diversity, equity and inclusion programs
By Sarah Kellogg
Feb. 18, 2025

Missouri AG files anti-DEI lawsuit against Starbucks, alleging hiring discrimination
By Evy Lewis
Feb. 11, 2025

Food & Agriculture

Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House's food pantry in East St. Louis serves roughly 1,000 people each week.

Will Bauer

St. Louis Public Radio

Government, Politics & Issues

East St. Louis food pantry gets less produce from farmers after USDA cuts program

Will Bauer

An East St. Louis pantry said it used to get 12 to 13 pallets of produce per week. Now, it’s four or five after the USDA eliminated a program that reimburses states for purchasing produce from local farmers.

Trump administration ends reimbursements for Illinois food programs
By Ben Szalinski of Capitol News Illinois
March 5, 2025

Mass layoffs at USDA leave an uncertain future for researchers and rural areas
By Collin Schopp
March 3, 2025

Trump's tariffs raise alarms for Illinois farm industry
By Amy Yee of Chicago Sun-Times
Feb. 19, 2025

Missouri soybean research project shuts down as Trump cuts off funding
By Jazmyne Martinez of Columbia Missourian
Feb. 11, 2025

Immigration

Dinora Soler scrambles eggs to put into Honduran baleadas, a dish made of a flour tortilla filled with refried beans and other ingredients on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at her restaurant El Guanaco Taqueria & Pupuseria near Overland.

Brian Munoz

St. Louis Public Radio

Economy & Business

Where would St. Louis be without Latino businesses? For a week, we will find out

Brian Munoz

A number of Hispanic-owned businesses will temporarily close next week as part of a coordinated effort to highlight the contributions of immigrants to the region's economy and culture in the wake of Trump’s mass deportation plans.