Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress Action Fund released new state-by-state fact sheets analyzing how President Donald Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate the Delta Regional Authority, or DRA, would harm economically insecure areas and his own supporters.
Created in 2000, the Delta Regional Authority is an economic development agency that serves eight states in the Mississippi Delta region—Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The Delta Regional Authority works to strengthen the economy in the 252 counties and parishes it serves by creating jobs and investing in economic development projects, such as infrastructure and workforce development. Nearly 2.3 million Americans voted for Trump in these counties.
“President Trump’s plan to eliminate the Delta Regional Authority is a complete 180 from his campaign promises to create jobs and strengthen the economy in rural America,” said Molly Cain, Senior Researcher for the Center for American Progress Action Fund War Room. “People in the Mississippi Delta region depend on the Delta Regional Authority for economic development, job training, and access to clean water. President Trump can’t claim to support these workers while eliminating the DRA.”
The Delta Regional Authority programs are slated to create and retain more than 43,000 jobs, train nearly 25,000 workers, and provide more than 60,000 families with clean and safe water in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Please see the following fact sheets on DRA states affected by Trump’s proposal: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Terrence Clark at [email protected] or 202.741.6251.