"There are a lot of federal employees in Kansas City and a lot of them have lost their jobs," Elisabeth Dueck, who organizes protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk every Thursday, told German public broadcaster ARD. However, it is not only the cuts in the administration made by DOGE that are causing problems for local people. The planned cuts in the social system will also have dramatic consequences in this constituency. Because around 159,000 people there are dependent on Medicaid - the health insurance program for the needy, Dueck explains. "Mostly children and the elderly," she added.
"I'm worried we're losing our democracy"
"My husband is in the military," said Andrea Bauer, holding a sign that read "Racist." She recounted how her husband, who is ill, burst out laughing when he received an email from Elon Musk asking what he had done last week. It was classified information he couldn't just give out.
"We want the courts to decide what is right and wrong, not the president doing it himself," added former teacher Jim Kindel. Nurse Paula Fulkerson fears the United States is heading towards dictatorship. "I'm worried we're losing our democracy. I'm very scared," she said. The fact that Trump calls himself a king and says that people won't need to vote should be taken seriously, the nurse believes. "This is what fascists do in autocratic countries", says Fulkerson.
Thousands are losing their jobs because of Trump's policies
Kansas City is one of the cities with the highest proportion of federal employees, independent city councilor Eric Bunch told ARD. "Every government job involves a lot of private sector jobs," he added. If DOGE really cuts more than 20% of government jobs, it would mean 14,000 people would be out of work in the Kansas City area. "And if social spending is cut, then the city will have to take care of even more people in need," he added.
Kansas City is located in the state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. Donald Trump actually won the 2024 election in both states. But now there are protests against his policies in both places.
In Topeka, Kansas, there is also anger. Among the protesters there is Kristi Davis, who works as the federal funding coordinator for the Department of Agriculture for all of Kansas. She was recently laid off. “I am unemployed right now,” she says. “And the department has lost a lot of its best young employees.”
Most Kansas residents have no idea that the money for their streets, hospitals and water supply comes from the federal budget, Davis says. “The Trump administration wants to cut a lot of that.” Medicaid cuts would mean hospital closures, education cuts would hit schools.
Trust is eroding even among Republicans
"People in Kansas have traditionally been very loyal to the Republican Party," says Davis. She comes from a family of her own. "But the party here wasn't Donald Trump's MAGA movement. It was more progressive, advocating for social reform, helping people," says Davis. "That's part of our history."
Today, however, Republicans are skeptical about how well Trump will keep his promises. "We heard from President Trump that prices would come down on day one. That didn't happen. "I think trust in the current administration is starting to erode in rural areas," says Davis, who travels the state and knows the local communities well.
Is support for Republicans really waning in the heartland of their voters, the Midwest? "I think we are in a special political moment. People are more interested in politics than ever", says Sherman Smith, editor-in-chief of the independent portal Kansas Reflector. "Kansas voters voted for Donald Trump by a large majority. At the same time, they are particularly hard hit by his decisions," he adds.
"Trump will finally get his verdict"
The new administration's policies also affect Kansas farmers who previously exported their produce to developing countries. With the termination of USAID, their most important export market has disappeared, Smith emphasizes. "I'm seeing more protests than I've seen in my 20 years of journalism here - against DOGE, against tariffs. A lot of them are perceived as too chaotic."
How far will the protests go? "Public protest is the only way to resist right now," says Smith. "The courts are working very slowly, and the Republican Party is still dominated by the MAGA movement". But there is a strong traditional wing of the party in Kansas, he emphasizes. "The intense battle between moderate Republicans and ultraconservatives continues," says the journalist, quoted by ARD.
"Ultimately Trump will get his verdict from the voters," he adds. And the next midterm elections in the US are in a year and a half.
Author: Ralph Borchardt (ARD)