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8 Trump-era Tri-Cities federal workforce changes and their impacts

Stories by Tri-City Herald journalists, with AI summarization

Trump administration and DOGE efforst to reshape federal workforce with executive orders, budget cuts and department reorganizations, cuts federal workers at Hanford nuclear site in Richland, WA and disrupts student programs like Head Start and refugee organizations.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. By Anna Moneymaker

NO. 1: US AND MEXICO THREATEN TARIFFS AGAINST EACH OTHER. THESE WA EXPORTS WOULD BE IMPACTED MOST

Mexico is among the top five top export countries for Washington state. | Published February 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Karlee Van De Venter

The World Relief Tri-Cities offices are off North Columbia Center Boulevard in Richland. It’s southeastern Washington’s only refugee resettlement agency. They helped 1,900 refugees resettle in the Tri-Cities from 2019 to 2024. By Bob Brawdy

NO. 2: SOUTHEAST WA REFUGEE GROUP REELING AFTER TRUMP ORDERS. 30% OF EMPLOYEES CUT

About half of the organization’s staff members are former legal refugees fleeing persecution, war or violence. | Published February 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Larissa Babiak

Hanford workers remove a failed pump from one of the Hanford nuclear site’s underground tanks storing 56 million gallons of a mix of radioactive and other chemical waste from the past production of plutonium.

NO. 3: ‘I HAVE CONCERNS.’ GOP REP. NEWHOUSE WEIGHS IN ON JOB CUTS AT NUCLEAR SITE AND MORE

WA congressional delegation says they can’t get information on the number of federal jobs cut or positions eliminated at agencies in Washington. | Published February 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Annette Cary

More than 100 people gathered along George Washington Way in Richland the afternoon of George Washington’s birthday to raise concerns about the actions of the Trump administration. By Annette Cary

NO. 4: JUDGE ORDERS FEDERAL AGENCIES TO REVERSE LAYOFFS. SOME IN TRI-CITIES COULD GET JOBS BACK

“Today’s order is a win for the employees that will be reinstated and the rule of law, but this case is not over,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said. | Published March 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Annette Cary

Washington State University Tri-Cities students and staff walk past the Student Union Building.

NO. 5: WSU TRI-CITIES RESEARCH CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE OF TRUMP EDUCATION CUTS. IS FINANCIAL AID NEXT?

About 40% of WSU students are eligible to receive Pell Grants to pay for college. | Published March 26, 2025 | Read Full Story by Eric Rosane

The Hanford nuclear reservation’s vitrification plant, under construction since 2002, should have its first test run of treating radioactive tank waste this summer.

NO. 6: EASTERN WA NUCLEAR SITE TOP MANAGER RESIGNS. NO. 2 HANFORD LEADER ALREADY IS GONE

They oversaw the $3 billion annual federal cleanup work at the 13,000-worker site. | Published March 26, 2025 | Read Full Story by Annette Cary

The Department of Energy is asking for more volunteers for deferred resignations at the Hanford nuclear site and elsewhere across the nation.

NO. 7: FEDS ASK MORE WORKERS OVERSEEING EASTERN WA NUCLEAR CLEANUP, OTHERS TO SIGN UP FOR LAYOFFS

As of a month ago, 50 of about 300 federal Hanford employees had lost their jobs either voluntarily or by firings. | Published April 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Annette Cary

Construction crews lift a roof truss into place for a new home in Quail Ridge at the Horn Rapids in Richland. New tariffs announced by President Trump are expected to add to the cost of a new home and slow the pace of building in Tri-Cities. By Bob Brawdy

NO. 8: WHAT TRUMP’S TARIFFS MEAN FOR THE TRI-CITIES HOUSING SHORTAGE AND HOME PRICES

Rising prices have a chilling effect on home buying. Every $1,000 increase squeezes buyers out of a market. | Published April 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Wendy Culverwell

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.