March 2025

• The Washington Post reported on March 25, 2025 the following impacts to Social Security across the country. It is unclear how this has effected Nevada County residents:
  • The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days in March and office managers are answering phones in place of receptionists due to DOGE cost cutting measures.
  • The system to monitor customer experience was eliminated due to DOGE cost cutting.
  • Scammers are on the rise. In mid-March, employees in several offices were warned that seniors were reporting receiving emails from accounts pretending to be linked to Social Security. The messages asked recipients to verify their identity to keep receiving benefits.

• Secure Rural Schools Program funding has been stopped. This funding supports school districts that don't receive tax funding because of large amounts of federal lands.

• Sierra Harvest had access to a $130K farm to school grant that has been canceled.

• Subsidies to local school food who purchase food from local farmers have been canceled.

• The Nevada County Resource Conservation District reported that federal grant funding supporting the Prescribed Fire Program has been frozen. This has resulted in the District being is unable to access resources for site visits or workshops.

• Nevada County is monitoring proposed mandatory spending cuts to:
  • Medicaid
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  • Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) clean energy tax credits

• The US Forest Service reported that 11 of the staff from the Yuba River District have been aid off.

• On March 11, 2025, Nevada County froze funds in respons to Federal Executive Orders, one of which was a Funding Freeze on grants and loans and a STOP WORK ORDER to the National Forest Foundation.