Jennifer Ludden

But the Employment Law Project says 20 states are keeping the lower federal rate, many of them in the South, where most Black workers live.

Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington.

We're talking about a thousand local anti-poverty groups that date back to the 1960s.

And they sign people up for housing, health care, food, heating aid, on and on, you name it.

I visited one called HapCap.

It's in southeastern Appalachian, Ohio.

And executive director Kelly Hatt has told me, for her, the chaos started in January.

She called it the worst day in her career.

It was when President Trump ordered a freeze on all spending.

The turmoil started in January with a presidential order to freeze all funding.

Then came a string of budget cuts, pauses, and some reversals.

Kelly Haddis at community action group HapCap in Ohio said,

says the biggest challenge is uncertainty.

The panic and the day-to-day not knowing is just really difficult.

The group laid off some people and shifted others to part-time, including front desk clerk Kelsey Sexton.

Advocates see little relief ahead as major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food aid take hold.

Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Logan, Ohio.

The turmoil started in January with a presidential order to freeze all funding.

Then came a string of budget cuts, pauses, and some reversals.

Kelly Haddis at community action group HapCap in Ohio said,