100 Days In: What Trump’s Return Means for Utah
Yesterday marked 100 days since Donald Trump returned to the White House, and while the national headlines focus on stunts, Greenland, and Cabinet chaos, here in Utah, the damage is already very real.
This isn’t just rhetoric. It’s not performative dysfunction. It’s actual policy, aggressive, deliberate, and deeply cruel, with ripple effects crashing hard into communities across the state. From health care to housing, immigration to education, and jobs to public lands, the Trump administration has launched a full-frontal assault on Utah’s safety net, infrastructure, and future
This isn’t theoretical. These are policies with body counts and pay cuts. These are families, students, seniors, and workers who now have to live with the consequences.
Trump’s second term isn’t just playing out on cable news. It’s playing out in our clinics, classrooms, courtrooms, and living rooms. And it’s ugly.
Let’s take a look at what the first 100 days of MAGA: Round 2 have meant for Utahns.
Health Care: Utah’s Safety Net? Meet the Shredder.
In just 100 days, Trump’s administration made it crystal clear: if you rely on Medicaid, buckle up because your health care might be “streamlined” right out of existence.
Despite all the hand-waving about protecting Medicaid, the Trump-approved GOP budget would slash $2 trillion from mandatory federal spending over the next decade, with a casual $880 billion of that coming directly from programs like Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office didn’t mince words, basically saying, “Yeah, that number doesn’t work unless you’re planning to torch Medicaid entirely.”
For Utah, that’s not just a D.C. math problem. It’s a full-blown health care crisis in the making.
More than 353,000 Utahns rely on Medicaid and CHIP, including children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. These programs cover one in six children in the state, and fund 17% of all births. In 2024, $3.6 billion (68%) of Utah’s total $5.3 billion Medicaid bill was federally funded. And, if Trump turns Medicaid into block grants, that money gets capped, no matter how high needs or costs go.
So if there's a spike in births, a public health crisis, or even just inflation? Tough. Figure it out.
And this is where it gets really dystopian: researchers estimate that cuts to Medicaid and SNAP could cost Utah 7,500 jobs in 2026 alone, with a $727 million loss to the state's GDP and about $51.3 million in lost state and local tax revenue.
Now zoom in on San Juan County, home to just 1.1% of Utah’s Medicaid population but where 30% of residents depend on Medicaid as their main insurance. If federal funds disappear, these communities won’t just “feel the pinch.” They’ll watch their health systems collapse.
And as if gutting Medicaid wasn’t bold enough...
Social Security: A Slow Squeeze on Utah’s Seniors
Trump’s team also set its sights on Social Security, because apparently someone decided “let’s go after the grandmas” was good optics.
Over 440,000 Utahns rely on Social Security each year. And under Trump’s budget, paper checks are out by September 2025. This will disproportionately impact more than 3,100 Utahns, especially rural seniors, who may not have online banking, internet, smartphones, or the desire to become fintech experts at age 82.
In the same spirit of bureaucratic cruelty, Trump’s team tried to start withholding 100% of monthly checks from people the government accidentally overpaid. Yes, even if the overpayment was the government’s fault. After some (completely justified) public outrage, they generously revised the plan to only take half of people’s checks instead. Because who doesn’t love deciding between groceries and medicine because someone in D.C. fat-fingered a decimal point?
And while all that was happening, the Provo Social Security office, one of the busiest in the state, got slated for closure, just for fun. Because nothing says “support our seniors” like making them drive two counties over just to fix a paperwork glitch.
Even that reversal came with a backpedal. The Trump administration has adopted a pattern in these first 100 days: advance a policy, reverse course under pressure, then quietly reassert it in a slightly altered form.
Education: Defunding the Future
Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education may sound like just another stunt, but for Utah schools, it’s a direct threat. Our state already ranks near the bottom nationally in per-pupil spending, and federal dollars are a lifeline.
Let’s talk numbers:
$81 million annually in Title I funding, supporting more than 180,000 low-income students
$155 million for special education programs, serving nearly 100,000 students with disabilities
This money doesn’t go to luxury school supplies or “woke math.” It funds things like reading support, tutors, and classroom aides. It gives overworked teachers some semblance of backup and helps kids who need a little more attention get the education they deserve.
About 12% of K-12 funding in Utah comes from federal programs. Without it, we’re looking at bigger class sizes, fewer resources, and more kids slipping through the cracks, especially in communities that can’t just write a check to make the problem go away.
So while Trump’s busy performing political theater by trying to ax the Department of Education, Utah schools are looking at real, lasting consequences. You can’t “bootstrap” your way through third grade when there aren’t enough boots… or teachers.
Immigration: Fear, Chaos, and Deportation Notices to U.S. Citizens
Trump’s immigration strategy isn’t just aggressive. It’s a fever dream of cruelty and incompetence, rolled into one. And in Utah the first 100 days have brought a full-on crisis of fear, especially in immigrant and refugee communities.
In just the past 100 days, we’ve seen a stunning wave of aggressive actions:
More than 50 international students at Utah universities had their visas yanked or SEVIS records terminated, most with no explanation and no criminal record. After lawsuits (including from the ACLU of Utah), some of the damage was undone. But the message is clear: in Trump’s America, even playing by the rules doesn’t protect you.
Trump’s administration empowered ICE agents to detain individuals at traditionally “safe” locations, including schools, churches, and hospitals. Salt Lake City’s school district had to send out reassurance letters because attendance was dropping out of fear that school pickup could end in detention. That’s not normal.
And in a plot twist ripped from a dystopian novel, ICE agents in Utah have begun ambushing immigrants at probation appointments. Imagine doing everything right, showing up to your meeting with a state officer, and walking into a trap set by federal agents. That’s not law enforcement. That’s entrapment.
Legal services for unaccompanied children? Cut. In Utah, that’s 126 children left without advocates, translators, or support in immigration court, leaving them vulnerable and unrepresented. Children. Children!
Catholic Community Services of Utah, which helps refugee families get on their feet, was preparing to shut down its operations for 300 families after federal funds vanished. They’ve since turned to private donations just to stay afloat. So now, refugee survival is basically dependent on GoFundMe.
And it’s not just immigrants. Even U.S. citizens in Utah are getting swept up in this climate of fear.
Carlos Trujillo, a U.S. citizen and immigration attorney, got a deportation notice at 1:00 a.m. Because who needs due process when you’ve got automated emails and a broken database?
Jesus, a BYU student from Venezuela, legally entered through humanitarian parole. His work authorization was revoked last month.
Suguru Onda, a Japanese doctoral student and father of five living in Utah, was nearly deported over a dismissed fishing citation from years ago, a minor incident ICE tried to weaponize into grounds for removal.
In Millcreek, three families, two from Venezuela, one from Haiti, all here legally, all with no criminal records, were given seven days to leave the country. No hearings. No appeals.
These aren’t paperwork mistakes. They’re human tragedies. Each one erodes the trust that immigrants, and many long-settled Utah families, once placed in American institutions.
The Trump administration’s first 100 days have unleashed a wave of fear that threatens the very fabric of Utah’s communities. This kind of chaos doesn’t make communities safer. It makes them smaller, more afraid, and less connected. And for Utah, a state built by immigrants, refugees, and religious exiles, that’s a betrayal of our core values.
Trade, Tariffs, and Layoffs: Utah’s Economy Under Siege
Trump loves to talk about how much he “understands business,” which is a weird flex for a guy whose biggest commercial achievement in the last decade was going bankrupt again, launching a merch line of red hats, and crypto grifts. But sure.
In Utah, nearly 430,000 Utah jobs are tied to international trade. That is 1 in 4 jobs. And Trump’s brilliant idea to throw tariffs around like confetti, and the whiplash of taking them on and off every other day, are destabilizing Utah’s economy and workforce.
Utah imported $21.9 billion in goods last year. Nearly $11.7 billion of those would get slapped with new tariffs, raising costs by about $3.1 billion. That’s not “America First.” That’s “Utah Pays.”
Lumber tariffs from Canada are hitting Utah builders hard. Those increased costs will be passed directly on to homebuyers, making our already impossible housing market even more unaffordable.
Utah car dealerships recently warned that tariffs could increase the price of a new car by $5,000–$10,000. In yet another twist and turn, yesterday, Trump said automakers might get a break. Cool! Nothing screams economic stability like trade policy written on a cocktail napkin mid-rage-tweet.
Our aerospace industry, home to more than 30,000 Utah jobs, is in jeopardy too. Boeing, Lockheed, and other manufacturers rely on export deals that are now jeopardized by retaliatory tariffs. Fewer exports = fewer contracts = layoffs.
And just to make sure no federal department is left unscathed, Trump also started gutting the workforce. The IRS processing center in Ogden, one of Utah’s biggest federal employers, has already lost about 100 jobs, with up to 1,000 more on the chopping block.
So yes, the man who promised to bring jobs back to America is actively torching them in Utah. But sure, tell me more about how this is great for the economy.
Public Lands and National Parks: Welcome to the Clearance Sale
Utah is home to some of the most breathtaking public lands in the country. Which, naturally, made them a prime target in Trump’s first 100 days.
With the stroke of a pen and a made-up “national energy emergency,” Trump is once again trying to shrink protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, not to protect these sacred and scenic places, but to open them up to mining and drilling. Because nothing pairs with a sunrise hike like an oil rig.
Arches National Park had to temporarily suspend ranger-led tours and close access to Fiery Furnace due to staff layoffs. Not because people stopped visiting, quite the opposite. But because Trump’s administration decided to cut 2,300 jobs at the Department of the Interior, including 55 right here in Utah.
That’s geologists, park rangers, public lands engineers… gone. The folks who literally keep our trails safe, our visitor centers open, and our parks protected.
And let’s not forget places like Garfield and Wayne counties, where one in four jobs is tied to federal land management. These aren’t abstract budget cuts. They’re families losing income. Local economies tanking. Tourists arriving to find locked gates and “Sorry, we’re closed” signs.
This isn’t just a war on nature. It’s a war on rural Utah. And the worst part? The only people cheering are the lobbyists who want to drill straight through your campsite…
Reproductive Health: Title X Gutted and Clinics Closed
If you’ve ever gotten basic reproductive care at a Planned Parenthood in Utah, a Pap smear, a birth control prescription, a cancer screening, congrats, you were part of a now-endangered species. Thanks to Trump’s Title X funding cuts, two Planned Parenthood clinics in Utah are closing.
Let’s be clear: Title X does not fund abortions. It funds things like birth control, STI testing, and cancer screenings. It’s public health 101, not some radical political experiment.
But Trump’s administration, fueled by equal parts ideology and ignorance, slashed $2.8 million from Utah’s Title X budget, citing vaguely defined “DEI concerns” because apparently helping low-income women access basic healthcare is now suspiciously equitable.
Utah was one of eight states where Title X funding was eliminated entirely, leaving thousands without access to essential care, especially in rural areas where Planned Parenthood might be the only provider within driving distance.
This is what you get when health policy is written by people who think an IUD is a crime scene. It’s not just cruel; it’s dangerous.
Research and Public Health: Slashed, Burned, and (Partially) Walked Back
If you thought Trump might show a little respect for public health after a once-in-a-century pandemic… well, bless your optimistic little heart. Instead, he grabbed a sledgehammer and aimed straight at the infrastructure that keeps Utah safe, healthy, and functioning.
Let’s start with the $98 million in COVID-era grants that were abruptly pulled from Utah. Because of those cuts:
17 employees were laid off from the Salt Lake County Health Department
37 more from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services
187 total public health workers lost their jobs statewide
These weren’t pencil-pushers. They were nurses, contact tracers, Long COVID researchers, and people working in rural vaccine clinics. You know, the folks who helped keep you and your grandparents alive four years ago.
And that’s just the beginning.
Trump’s team capped indirect costs on all NIH grants at 15%, effectively gutting funding for lab space, safety protocols, and staffing at institutions like the University of Utah, which ran 5,000+ research projects and 550 clinical trials last year.
One of the biggest casualties was a $38 million grant to the Utah Clinical & Translational Science Institute, which supported everything from cancer studies to rural health research. And, in a shocking turn of events, the reasoning was “so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) studies are often used to support unlawful discrimination on the basis of race.”
What didn’t they want to fund? Oh, just small stuff like:
Helping rural hospitals diagnose sick newborns faster with genetic testing
Creating custom skin cancer prevention for communities with sky-high rates
Developing video games to help young adults with heart disease manage their care
Tracking the spread of Valley Fever, a fungal threat in the Mountain West
Using stem cells to understand pediatric bipolar disorder
You know, the kind of soft science stuff like keeping babies alive and preventing fatal disease.
After major pushback, the grant was reinstated on March 29. But the fact that it was ever pulled at all tells you everything you need to know about the priorities here.
And it’s not over. According to the Science & Community Impacts Mapping Project:
Utah stands to lose at least $126 million and 545 jobs
Salt Lake County alone could see $86 million in economic losses
And just to twist the knife, Trump’s newest budget proposal includes a $40 billion cut to the Department of Health and Human Services, slashing programs for HIV/AIDS prevention, maternal health, rural care, vaccine distribution, and more.
Public health isn’t wasteful. It’s preventative. And cutting it now doesn’t save money, it guarantees we’ll pay more later. In ER bills. In missed diagnoses. In avoidable deaths.
This isn’t a “smaller government” moment. It’s a short-sighted, self-sabotaging policy agenda that’s decimating the very systems that keep Utah functioning, from rural towns to trauma centers to public health departments.
For a state that prides itself on innovation and resilience, this isn’t just backward. It’s dangerous.
Student Loans and Early Childhood Education: The Squeeze Tightens
Utahns owe $11 million in student loan debt, and Trump’s Department of Education is restarting wage garnishment for anyone in default, with collections resuming May 5.
Meanwhile, Trump’s budget slashes Head Start because if there’s one thing this country definitely has too much of, it’s affordable childcare.
Here in Utah, where 77% of residents already live in a child care desert, these cuts are the equivalent of pulling the fire alarm in a burning building. 6,100 Utah kids rely on Head Start. And with federal funds drying up, programs are shutting down, leaving families with zero options.
At a time when parents can barely find daycare, and student borrowers are barely staying afloat, the Trump administration is managing to hit both groups at once.
It’s almost impressive. Almost.
Utah’s Federal Delegation: Standing By Their Man (and His Wrecking Ball)
While Utah families, workers, researchers, teachers, parents, seniors, and literal children are bearing the brunt of Trump’s second-term smash-and-burn tour, Utah’s Congressional delegation has marched in lockstep behind him. Not one word of dissent. Not one call for pause. Just “Yes, sir,” “Right away,” and “How high?”
Let’s review the tape:
Senator Mike Lee gave Trump’s first 100 days an “A+” for, quote, “ripping out the woke anti-American agenda by its roots.” How far we’ve fallen since the Tea Party days of small government and traditional conservative principles, eh, Mike?
Senator John Curtis, who’s built his whole brand on being the “moderate one,” praised Trump for “doing what he said he was going to do: disrupt and tackle challenges head-on.”
Rep. Blake Moore, co-chair of the DOGE Caucus (yes, that’s a real thing), called Trump’s immigration crackdown a “major policy win.” Because nothing says “pro-family values” like ICE agents waiting outside your kid’s school.
Rep. Celeste Maloy called the chaos “systematic progress” and said we should “let the process play out.” Which, if you’re an immigrant family served a deportation notice with seven days' warning, sounds a lot like “good luck, hope you packed.”
Rep. Mike Kennedy actually toured the mega-prison in El Salvador, where legal American immigrants are being wrongly detained, to say the least, and still came home supporting Trump’s immigration policies. Because apparently nothing says “sobering” like doubling down.
And Rep. Burgess Owens? He’s out here declaring that Trump’s rollback of DEI initiatives, attacks on transgender rights, and slashes to public education are actually just restoring “common sense.” Sure, Burgess.
So while Utah burns (figuratively, though, give it time), our delegation is sending fan mail to the arsonist.
The Bottom Line
Trump’s second term isn’t theoretical. It’s not a headline. It’s not a tweet. It’s a full-blown political reckoning, and it’s hitting Utah hard.
In just 100 days, we’ve seen:
Health care gutted
Public health workers laid off
Student visas revoked
Research ruined
Families torn apart
Public lands threatened
Reproductive care stripped
Child care slashed
And a whole lot of elected officials too scared (or too proud) to say a damn thing about it.
This isn’t just about fighting Trump. It’s about protecting Utah.
Protecting our families. Our kids. Our teachers. Our public servants. Our nurses. Our mountains. Our future.
The next 1,000 days could define the next generation of Utahns, who gets care, who gets help, who gets left behind. What we do now, how we organize, vote, and fight, matters more than ever.
Because if this is what 100 days looks like, we can’t afford to sit out the rest.
