Musk, Trump, and Congress Are Coming for Our Food and Water
Published Feb 14, 2025
Funding slashes and freezes, budget proposals, and moves toward mass-layoffs are putting our food and water in grave danger. But we can and must fight back.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk want to dismantle the federal government and then loot and privatize it. The opening moves of what is shaping up to be the Musk-Trump administration make that perfectly clear. They have illegally moved to winnow the federal workforce and freeze government spending.
Now, leaders in Congress are working to make their wave of destruction permanent with massive spending cuts on basic programs, including those that keep our food and water safe.
Why? They’re searching for cuts to counter the trillions in tax breaks they’re preparing for corporations and billionaires. Moreover, the Musk-Trump agenda is to wreck basic government functions, giving cover for private corporations to swoop in and take over.
Check out this short video explaining how Congress will use the budget process to formalize Musk-Trump cuts:
Their actions and plans directly threaten our food, water, health, government, and democracy. We must and can fight back by pressuring our leaders to stand up for us at every possible turn. Here’s what you need to know, and how you can join the fight.
Musk-Trump Opens the Door for Devastating Cuts to Food and Water Safety, Basic Programs
Musk and Trump started out of the gate with an attempted blanket funding freeze on federal grants and loans. This brought chaos and fears that millions of people would be cut off from basic support for clean water, food safety, school lunches, healthcare, housing, and much more.
While Courts ordered Musk and Trump to end the freeze and the administration rescinded it, Courts have also found that the freeze on specific funds has remained in effect. The Musk-Trump chaos continues!
Besides this broad freeze, Trump also issued an executive order specifically targeting the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This freeze endangers an estimated $10 billion in waste and wastewater projects, as well as funding for roads, bridges, solar panels, electric vehicles, conservation, environmental justice projects, and more. The Environmental Protection Agency has since stopped delivering grants and loans authorized by these two landmark laws — but the extent of this freeze remains murky.
With these orders, Trump is halting funding that Congress has already appropriated (designated for specific purposes). This is illegal, and it must stop.
Some parts of these orders are getting tied up in the Courts, but many are affecting workers and families right now. Vital programs can’t provide childcare or healthcare. Projects to remove toxic lead and asbestos from communities are up in the air. Career public servants who have dedicated their lives to keeping our country running are being locked out of their offices.
These freezes show a blatant contempt for the well-being of workers and families nationwide. They directly threaten lives, especially by making our food and water less safe. And let’s be clear, the Musk-Trump cuts are designed to harm us and enrich them.
Tell your representatives to oppose the Musk-Trump agenda and dangerous budget cuts!
Six Food and Water Protections Under Threat
Along with illegal funding freezes, Musk-Trump have also taken steps to gut the federal workforce. They are attacking civil servants who work hard to keep us safe every day. Their agenda will threaten food safety inspections. Water agencies may not have the funds to test water supplies. Our health systems will not be able to respond to a bird flu epidemic. In short, if Musk and Trump get their way, people will die.
If that’s not bad enough, the House recently released a proposal for massive cuts to vital programs. These lawmakers want to slash trillions of dollars for programs like Medicaid and food assistance. They’re endangering programs that provide food and healthcare to millions of people.
Why? Because they want to give $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, largely to billionaires and corporations. In other words, they want to cut their taxes at our expense.
This “Reverse Robin Hood” will have devastating consequences. Here are just a few vital programs and services currently in their line of fire:
1. Food Safety Programs That Stop Foodborne Illnesses
Musk and Trump are gunning for spending and staffing cuts that will slash the number of federal staff who keep our food safe. Inspectors and other staff are already overworked and understaffed. Foodborne illnesses hospitalize 100,000 people and cause 3,000 deaths each year in the U.S. With more cuts to food safety programs, we will see more preventable deaths.
2. SNAP and Food Assistance That Ensure Families Can Eat
No family should ever go hungry, and government programs work toward this goal. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) alone serves 40 million people per month. But the House has proposed $230 billion in cuts to food assistance and at least $150 billion specifically from SNAP. Those impacted will include the more than 10 million children in the U.S. currently living in poverty.
3. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Which Prevents Dangerous Disease
Part of the CDC, APHIS protects the health of U.S. agriculture and natural resources against pests and diseases. That includes H5N1 Avian Influenza, or bird flu, which is spreading rapidly amongst poultry flocks, dairy herds, and now humans. So far, we’ve seen more than 65 recorded human cases and one death.
Bird flu, combined with corporate price-gouging, has caused egg prices to skyrocket. APHIS has the authority and expertise to help rein in this disease, stop rising egg prices, and prevent the next pandemic. But proposed budget cuts put this work in jeopardy. We need a strong federal response to get bird flu under control.
4. The Federal Trade Commission, Which Stops Corporate Abuses
Many corners of our economy, including food industries, are controlled by just a few powerful corporations. This allows them to boost profits by raising prices for families and exploiting farmers, ranchers, and food workers. Musk-Trump and their allies want to make this problem even worse by targeting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The FTC enforces civil antitrust law and consumer protection. It stops corporations from illegally getting bigger and more powerful, prevents abuses and lies in the name of profit, and safeguards against unfair and illegal competition.
Last year, the FTC successfully blocked a megamerger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons. Cuts to the agency will only benefit large corporations, leading to higher prices and even more corporate control over our food.
5. State Revolving Funds, Which Fund Clean Water Projects
State Revolving Funds send federal dollars to states to fund water infrastructure projects that keep our water clean and safe. Already, much of our water infrastructure is in dire need of improvements, and over 6,000 people die from waterborne illnesses every year. Funding cuts to projects like stormwater and treatment plant repairs and upgrades will make our water less safe.
6. Municipal Bonds That Help Finance Local Clean Water Improvements
House lawmakers have also proposed removing a tax exemption on municipal bonds to pay for their billionaire tax cuts. These exemptions allow local governments to finance projects for safe, affordable water. Removing them will make it harder for local leaders to provide clean water to their constituents — for the sake of putting more money in billionaires’ pockets.
Republican Leaders in Congress Work to Speed Dangerous Spending Cuts
Currently, lawmakers are rushing to carry out these cuts through budget reconciliation. Congress can pass one budget reconciliation bill per fiscal year (September to September). This process is a shortcut for passing big sweeping spending and tax bills.
Usually, the Senate must have 60 votes to pass a bill, and senators can filibuster to prolong debate and delay or even shut down a bill. But with budget reconciliation, they only need a simple majority (51 votes out of 100) and there’s no filibustering allowed.
The Senate and House combine their proposals into one big reconciliation bill. And in early February, House leaders proposed their first framework for budget reconciliation. In it, they’ve laid out an agenda full of tax cuts for the rich and major reductions to basic services. It includes $2 trillion in cuts for us and up to $4.5 trillion in handouts for corporations and billionaires.
Republicans are proposing to slip $4.5 trillion into the pockets of corporations and billionaires, and they want to cut basic services to American families by $2 trillion to help pay for it.
Trump’s allies in Congress used budget reconciliation in his first term to pass outrageous tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. The law put an average of $61,000 back in the pockets of America’s top 1% in 2025. Congress is now aiming to extend these cuts and add even more.
This all signals what’s to come as lawmakers gear up for their next spending package. Before March 14, Congress must pass an appropriations bill to provide regular funding to basic government services. These appropriations are already four months overdue, and we can expect even more cuts to essential funding.
We Can Stop This With Quick Collective Action
Congressmembers must reject Musk and Trump’s illegal funding freezes and support full funding for clear water, sustainable food, and a livable climate. They must defend their constitutional power of the purse. And they must ensure that programs for our food, water, health, and well-being receive the funding Congress already provided.
With Republicans’ narrow hold on the House, just a few votes against this budget reconciliation plan will stop it in its tracks. Several lawmakers elected on razor-thin margins are particularly vulnerable. We can pressure them to stand up for their constituents against these life-threatening cuts.
At the same time, we’ll be pressuring Democratic leaders to finally use all their power and platform to fight these cuts. For most bills, including appropriations, Democratic Senators can use the filibuster to delay or block the bill entirely. They shouldn’t allow anything to move forward while Musk and Trump are illegally attempting to dismantle government programs.
Already, millions of people around the country are taking action. In the coming weeks, Food & Water Watch will continue rallying and calling offices non-stop, meeting with representatives and platforming our demands. This is a critical moment for our food, water, and everything we hold dear. But together, we can stop these cuts and defend our families and our democracy.
Call on your representatives to oppose the Musk-Trump agenda and life-threatening budget cuts.
Editor’s Note: Updated February 21 to reflect recent developments in cuts to food safety program staff.
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