This is an article from the June 2025 Civitas Examiner (Volume 2, No. 3) and was written by one of our students, Alice C. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
Since the change in command after the 2024 election, the Trump administration has worked to make strategic changes to the government system by cutting federal funding, firing large numbers of federal workers, issuing executive orders, and taking a clear stance on issues regarding foreign relations.
Recently, there has been pushback on some of these policies through social media, though on June 14th, the emotions of the populace grew into the “No Kings” protest in response to Trump’s planned birthday and military parade. During this parade, there was a sparse number of attendees compared to the protests, despite Trump’s efforts to overshadow these events with his $25 to $45 million celebration.
Although an estimated 5 million people participated in the “No Kings” protests, data taken from an anonymous non-scientific poll commissioned by the Civitas Examiner through Survey Monkey shows that 49% of Americans would vote to reelect Trump if they were given another chance. Other information received from this poll shows that the economy and inflation are some of the most important issues for Americans, ranking higher than both immigration and healthcare. Still, it is possible that the issue of healthcare cuts might gain popularity if the “Big Beautiful Bill” goes into effect.
A St. Louis Post Dispatch article brings up concerns about how the Medicaid cuts will harm farmers near a town called Golden Valley, Missouri. Craig Thomson, the chief executive of Golden Valley’s healthcare, informs the newspaper that 80% of the town is reliant on Medicaid that will be cut if this bill is passed.
The St. Louis American has also published a piece on the possible impacts of these healthcare cuts on Missouri’s health. This article predicts that the United States healthcare system will potentially lose $321 billion, allocated for drug research and the payment of physicians.
Given this data, it is evident that these cuts will not help the average Missourian, and anger at the government, which has been shown during the “No Kings” protest, will likely continue throughout the term. Nevertheless, it is important to consider the fact that Missouri is a red state and that despite these protests across the country, our state will most likely be part of the 49% of people who would re-elect Trump despite these cuts in healthcare funding.
