This commentary is by Mike Pieciak and Sue Minter. Pieciak is the Vermont state treasurer and Minter previously served as executive director of Capstone Community Action, secretary of the Vermont Department of Transportation, state representative and state director of recovery after Tropical Storm Irene. The Task Force on the Federal Transition was convened by Pieciak and co-chaired by Minter.
Vermonters have learned a hard lesson from past disasters: Being prepared makes a difference.
The Covid-19 pandemic, Tropical Storm Irene and devastating floods of recent summers have shown that when we plan ahead and protect our state, we keep Vermonters safe, businesses open and costs down. Today, we must use this same approach as the Trump administration threatens the security of workers, families and our communities.
Vermonters are already feeling the impact of the MAGA agenda. Inflation is worsening, tariffs are driving up costs for businesses, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are tearing families apart, and important programs like Medicaid and food assistance are being slashed. The stock market may be riding high, but this bears little resemblance to the reality of most Vermonters.
Across our state, there is deep anxiety about how President Donald Trump’s policies are affecting our neighbors, the cost of living and the most vulnerable among us. To better understand the impact of these changes as they unfold — and develop recommendations to protect Vermonters from incoming and future changes — the State Treasurer’s Office convened the Task Force on the Federal Transition.
Meeting regularly since January, the task force included a range of local leaders and heard from local and national experts about how federal changes are impacting Vermonters, our economy and the state’s fiscal health.
As a small, rural state, Vermont is especially vulnerable to any shifts in federal support. On a per capita basis, Vermont receives about 36% more federal funding than the average U.S. state. Federal funds, meanwhile, account for roughly 35% of our state budget.
Over the past decade, Vermont has also been the fourth-highest recipient per capita among all U.S. states of disaster-related federal funding. With the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency now in question, any loss in disaster-related support would shift more costs to states, businesses and taxpayers.
In our communities, ICE raids and changes to immigration policy have stirred needless terror and dislocated neighbors and family members. This has also added pressure to Vermont’s already strained workforce, driving up costs in critical industries like health care, agriculture and housing.
At our northern border, Trump’s rhetoric and tariffs are dramatically impacting Canadian travel to Vermont. In March, April and May, year-over-year private-vehicle crossings from Canada into Vermont were down about 35%. This sudden drop in Canadian visitors is hurting our state’s $4 billion tourism industry, which many of our rural communities rely on.
When Washington, D.C., changes course or tone, Vermonters feel it here at home.
Recently, the task force published a final report with 11 recommended actions to make Vermont’s economy more resilient to federal policy changes. The recommendations include creating a state natural disaster recovery reserve, convening nonprofit leaders to strengthen services, and establishing a state office of new Americans to coordinate resources for foreign newcomers and help grow our workforce and economy.
Across all recommendations, the report delivers a clear message: Vermont must prepare now for a future with fewer federal dollars, greater economic uncertainty, and higher costs for workers and families.
We cannot control what is going to happen in Washington, D.C., and we cannot fully replace the federal support that is being cut away. But we can organize, plan ahead and take proactive steps to provide the best outcomes possible to Vermonters.
This work takes on even greater importance under Trump’s domestic policy bill, which was passed after the work of the task force was completed. In the coming years, cuts and new requirements to programs like Medicaid and SNAP will kick tens of thousands of Vermonters off their health insurance and cause children across the state to go hungry.
This will trap more families in poverty, strain social services and drive up costs for everyone. It’s a historic betrayal of the working and middle class.
Recognizing these challenges, we must lean into our strengths as Vermonters: strong communities, a deep care for our neighbors and a shared commitment to protecting the place we call home. We must work together and prove once again that when we stand shoulder to shoulder, we can build a better future for everyone.
That won’t change — no matter what happens in Washington, D.C.
