Metro Detroit nonprofit awaits impact of spending bill cuts
After an 11th-hour vote ahead of Speaker Mike Johnson's Memorial Day deadline, House Republicans narrowly passed the Trump administration's sweeping tax and spending cuts package, paving the way for the elimination of nearly $880 billion from energy and health care programs over the next 10 years.
"We were devastated. Like, the bare minimum of this is that what we do saves lives," said Ciera Renee, Director of Programs for FORCE Detroit.
Renee is the director of programs for FORCE Detroit, a nonprofit organization that supports at-risk youth and offers workforce development and other forms of support to people and communities impacted by violence.
Last fall, FORCE Detroit was awarded $2 million to fund and support its work through 2027, but in April, it found out almost all of it is now gone.
"This evidence-based work that we do has literally saved our taxpayers $31.3 million, so if you just think about it in terms of the math, doesn't math," said Renee.
Renee says much of the funding goes to paying employees — the ones she says are responsible for running some of their most successful outreach initiatives.
"The individuals that we are out here doing the ground, boots-on-the-ground doing the work, we no longer have opportunities to allow them to do this work," said Renee.
In response to the move, FORCE Detroit has partnered with four other nonprofit organizations in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle to file a class-action lawsuit to stop the Trump administration's actions.
"It's tough work, right? It's also not even fair to ask someone to do the work for free, because it is lifesaving work," said Renee.
Now, Renee says her team is focused on ensuring their community doesn't feel the strain and will try to provide as much support as long as possible.
"This is a nonpartisan issue. This is not a racial issue. This is about literally saving lives, so the impact of that will not just be felt localized — it'll be felt throughout," said Renee.
