Under the Dome: What is President Donald Trump doing and how does that affect NC?
Happy Monday! Welcome to Under the Dome. It’s Danielle Battaglia.
If you’re looking for the Under the Dome podcast edition, don’t worry. That will be back tomorrow.
We decided to switch things up here to respond to the relentless news cycle that began after President Donald Trump returned for a second term in office.
Trump punctuated that return with a flurry of activity that makes keeping up with him difficult. In his first two months back, Trump has already signed close to 100 executive orders. And oftentimes, the outcomes of his decisions aren’t seen or felt until several news-making actions later.
By then the results get buried in the deluge of new information coming out of the White House.
Because of that, we want to give you a place where you can come, each week, that rounds up Trump’s decisions and the impact they have on North Carolinians. We want to make it easier for you to find the latest news about the federal government and how it’s impacting your lives.
And we also want to hear from you, our readers, when you’re personally being impacted. That’s why we’ve created a form so you can get in touch with our staff and tell us your personal stories.
And if you have any feedback or tips for this new edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
Now on to the news.
Trump’s week and the NC impact
Trump didn’t slow down over the past seven days. He started last week by announcing a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, something that has yet to come to fruition. Midweek he signed an executive order to close the Department of Education, something Emmy Martin told you about in Friday’s newsletter. And speaking of Friday, he spent the last day of the week announcing a new fighter jet, appropriately named the F-47.
But let’s drill down on North Carolina, specifically.
Today, James Tate Grant, a 32-year-old man who was sentenced to federal prison for attacking a police officer with a dangerous weapon at the U.S. Capitol, will be a guest speaker at the Wake County Republican Club meeting. Upon Trump’s return to office, he pardoned every person convicted of a crime linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks, in which a mob broke into the Capitol in an attempt to stop the election certification of Joe Biden as president. T. Keung Hui has more about Grant’s plans here.
Farmers, food banks and schools felt the brunt of a decision the Trump administration made to cut two programs: the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food For Schools Cooperative Agreement Program.
A Henderson farmer, Patrick Brown, told The News & Observer that cuts to the latter program would take away half his revenue stream.=Brown was baffled by the decision because it would cut the only access some local children have to healthy foods. Chantal Allam and I have more on that. And The Charlotte Observer’s Mary Ramsey writes about how that will impact food banks in Western North Carolina still reeling from Hurricane Helene.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the 19th largest employer in Durham County, announced it would end its scientific research division. In order to do this the EPA plans to dissolve 50% to 75% of the division’s 1,540 positions, with the rest being reassigned elsewhere. This particular division has the largest footprint in Research Triangle Park. Brian Gordon explains more about this decision.
Yours truly learned last week that DOGE walked back plans to close three of North Carolina’s Social Security Administration offices. DOGE announced on its website plans to end the leases for offices in Elizabeth City, Roanoke Rapids, Franklin and Greenville but by Wednesday, only Roanoke Rapids remained on DOGE’s website. Members of Congress confirmed that the other three buildings had been saved. You can read more here.
That’s it for now. Check back tomorrow for your Under the Dome podcast newsletter.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Under the Dome: What is President Donald Trump doing and how does that affect NC?."
