Trump cuts hit flood control and food aid in Miami-Dade. Will Medicaid be next?

Miami Herald

a day ago

Cuts to federal spending yanked $10 million for flood-prevention projects in Miami, slashed USDA produce deliveries to a leading food bank and killed $17 million in grant money that Miami-Dade County hoped to secure for expanding Internet access to low-income households.
But those cutbacks aren't what have county administrators worried. It's the even deeper cuts proposed by the Trump administration that they say would bring severe consequences to healthcare, housing and social services throughout Miami-Dade.
The county's Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, laid out potential impacts in a recent memo to county commissioners.
With more than $700 billion in Medicaid spending reductions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Republican-backed spending and policy bill that narrowly passed the U.S. House on May 22, Levine Cava's memo warns of local pain if Washington cuts back on the stream of federal healthcare dollars to the Miami area.
'Last year, in Miami-Dade, Medicaid provided services to 40,300 children (30% of the County's children) and 120,700 seniors and people with disabilities,' Levine Cava wrote in the May 19 memo. 'Any reduction in Medicaid funding would significantly impact access to care and economic security.'
U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Republican and Levine Cava's predecessor as county mayor, defended the proposed Medicaid changes that he voted for in the House, including work requirements for some recipients and stricter eligibility scrutiny to prevent 'double-dipping' by Medicaid recipients wrongly enrolled in more than one state program. 'The benefits to eligible residents have not been reduced,' he said.
Federal funding accounts for about 6% of the county's $12.7 billion budget — amounting to more than $750 million annually from Washington. Among the funding concerns cited in the memo:
A $65 million shortfall in funding for the federal Section 8 rental voucher program that Miami-Dade administers using dollars from Washington. The memo said more than 5,400 households could lose their housing assistance without more federal money in 2025. The potential loss of Head Start childcare dollars through a planned restructuring at the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Miami-Dade runs Head Start childcare centers funded by roughly $90 million a year from Washington. The latest grant expires Oct. 1, and Levine Cava said there's no option yet to apply for a renewal in the federal grant-making system. Cutbacks in federally funded food shipments that make their way to soup kitchens, church pantries and food banks throughout Miami-Dade.
Farm Share, a main supplier of free food in the county, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently cut in half the number of semi-trucks packed with cans, produce, and dry goods like rice and beans that find their way to local charities and nonprofits. Farm Share's federal shipments hit about 15 million pounds between February and May last year, compared to 7 million pounds this year, said Stephen Shelley, president of the Homestead-based charity.
'It's concerning,' he said. Even so, Shelley said he's optimistic the cutbacks will be temporary as the second Trump administration retools the program and manages fallout from the shortages. 'This is a cycle that is not uncommon. We're watching, and we're hopeful.'
While the memo focuses mostly on potential funding impacts, some examples represent federal money that's already lost. That includes a $16.5 million grant from the Department of Commerce that the county hoped to receive to expand Internet access countywide.
One of the biggest hits to Miami-Dade's existing federal funding is a grant designed to help the county lessen current-day flooding, as well as help prepare for sea-level rise.
Two of the floodiest spots in Miami-Dade County — the mouth of Little River and the Biscayne Canal — were set to receive multimillion-dollar makeovers designed to protect neighborhoods against high waters and heavy rains. But last month, the Trump administration ended FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC) grant program, which launched during Trump's first term.
READ MORE: Millions in South Florida flood-control projects on hold after Trump FEMA cuts
Planning for the flood protection projects is on schedule to finish up this month. But there's no longer federal money to raise the height of canal walls and purchase bigger pumps to keep rainwater flowing to Biscayne Bay instead of into nearby streets.
'The cancellation of the BRIC program poses a major setback to Miami-Dade County's ability to implement long-term resilience strategies,' Levine Cava wrote. She said the two canceled grants were worth $9.2 million, with another $23 million in pending grant applications also taken off the table.
Even so, she said Miami-Dade will be pursuing other federal dollars for the projects — even if they have more strings attached. Levine Cava is already warning of a nearly $400 million shortfall for the county's 2026 budget from increased local spending and slowing growth in property-tax revenues. That can make it harder to snag federal grants because county 'departments continue to face challenges identifying required match funding.'