'They can't afford to live here': Deep red Montana town faces DOGE fallout

[justaprogressive]

Harsh DOGE-related cuts are endangering a research facility serving as a huge economic driver for in Montana’s town of Hamilton.

Built in the middle of a conservative, blue-collar community of 5,000, Rocky Mountain Laboratories generates hundreds of millions of dollars for the local economy through spillover to other industries and retail. But NPR reports Hamilton is “a prime example of how the Trump administration's mass federal layoffs and cancellation of research grants are being felt in communities far from Washington, D.C.”

Former Rocky Mountain Labs researcher Kim Hasenkrug said he despised President Donald Trump's vow to let Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild" on health issues.

"We're beginning to see what 'going wild' looks like," Hasenkrug said. "These cuts will not streamline research. They will throttle it."

Forty-one Rocky Mountain Labs workers were let go or told their contracts would end this summer, and nine more took advantage of time served to retire early. The departures come as the Trump administration slashed at least $29 million in grants to Montana recipients, from university scientists to the state health department. Research has slowed, and NPR’s local affiliate reports scientists have struggled to buy basic gear. Researcher say even more cuts are planned for workers who buy and deliver critical supplies such as antibodies.

https://www.alternet.org/doge-economy-layoffs/