FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2025
LINK TO LETTER: here
CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Voices, (540) 798-6683, [email protected]
Appalachia — This week, more than 80 state and local government officials, educational institutions, businesses, churches and nonprofits sent a letter to members of Congress calling for sustained funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission. The letter was delivered in response to President Donald Trump’s discretionary budget funding proposal released in late May, which called for cutting funding for the ARC by 93% — slashing it from $200 million in recent years to $14 million for fiscal year 2026. Congress is now considering how to respond to Trump’s proposal as it turns its focus to the FY26 Appropriations process after passing the budget reconciliation bill last week, which included major cuts to social support systems.
“In recent years, Appalachia has built incredible momentum towards a multi-industry economy that provides good jobs that take good care of the communities around us,” the letter reads. “The ARC has been instrumental in driving forward this potential. Reductions to its programs pose a risk to innovative initiatives in workforce development, community revitalization, and American-made resilient energy.”
The letter notes that ARC has supported many aspects of Appalachian life, including infrastructure,
workforce development, housing and education, throughout its 60-year history.
“ARC is an example of the federal government at its best — a federal entity run in coordination with state and local officials, responsive to the needs and insight of the people it serves, and adaptable to the changing circumstances on the ground,” the letter continues. “We urge members of Congress to stand up for the people of Appalachia and fund the Appalachian Regional Commission in alignment with previous years levels for fiscal year 2026.”
Congressional appropriations committees are currently drafting legislation to fund the government and discretionary programs for fiscal year 2026, before a Sept. 30 deadline. Neither the Senate nor the House appropriations committees have released draft bill text related to the Appalachian Regional Commission yet. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water was scheduled to markup the bill on July 7, but the meeting was postponed. The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to announce a markup for the relevant legislation.
Quotes from around the region
“The Appalachian Regional Commission has been and continues to be a driving force in the Appalachian Renaissance. We must maintain momentum in order to build a more diverse, sustainable economy.” — Jeffery Justice, Pine Mountain Partnership, Letcher County, Kentucky
“The Appalachian Regional Commission has long been one of the most important drivers of regional revitalization. At the Appalachia Funders Network, our recent State of Funding in Appalachia report revealed that communities in Central Appalachia receive less than one-fourth of the national average in philanthropic investment per person. Because of generations of underinvestment and extraction, in many places, the ARC is one of the only consistent partners helping communities rebuild and thrive. Several of the most compelling comeback stories in the country—especially in workforce development and entrepreneurial renewal—are being written in partnership between ARC and the private sector. The region that helped power this nation’s growth deserves more than to be sidelined. Maintaining robust support for ARC is not only sound policy—it’s a smart investment in the resilience and prosperity of America’s heartland.” — Ryan M. Eller, Executive Director, Appalachia Funders Network
“As a grant writer living here in the heart of eastern Kentucky, I’ve seen with my own eyes what ARC funding can do. It’s helped young people learn skilled trades so they don’t have to leave home to find a good-paying job. It’s brought in tourists who shop at our local businesses—and even some folks who end up investing in new ones. I’ve worked with recovery programs where people are turning their lives around—getting jobs, rebuilding families, and finding hope right here in their hometowns. The ARC is one of the few federal programs that truly understands our region and meets us where we are. It helps us build a better future from the ground up. Cutting this funding now would undo so much of the progress our communities have worked so hard for. I hope Congress will continue to invest in Appalachia—we’re worth it, and the work is far from done.” — Ruthie Caldwell, Vision Granted LLC, Kentucky
“The Appalachian Regional Commission offers critical leadership development, needed technical support, and welcome advocacy for small businesses and outdoor recreation here in rural Pennsylvania and Maryland.” — Bryan Perry, Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy, Maryland and Pennsylvania
“For sixty years, the Appalachian Regional Commission has provided significant economic impact and investment into rural western North Carolina and the greater Appalachian region. We stand with the extensive track record of ARC’s work and support their continued funding.” — Patrick Woodie, NC Rural Center, North Carolina
“The ARC is a critical organization to those of us in Appalachian Ohio. Funding for infrastructure, broadband, and informational services is key to our success.” — Gary Goosman, Mayor, Amesville Ohio
“With our town government going through a total reset and having no employees, the assistance with the Appalachian Regional Commission grant for capacity building has been so helpful to us. Grant opportunities, as a whole, have helped us to go back on track.” Leabern Kennedy, Vice Mayor of Pound, Virginia
“Slashing funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission is an abandonment of the communities that have powered this country for generations. The ARC has proven time and again that smart, locally driven investments can lower everyday costs, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen resilience in communities too often overlooked. Rural Progress stands with the people of Appalachia in urging Congress to reject these reckless cuts and fully fund the ARC at levels consistent with previous years. We can’t afford to turn our backs on this region now—not when real progress is finally taking root.” Matt Hildreth, Executive Director, Rural Progress (National)