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With social safety nets cut, Americans in rural areas look for ways to cope

By Emily Russell

Published November 6, 2025 at 4:45 AM EST

Millions of Americans rely on federal subsidies and programs to make ends meet. But the shutdown and other cuts have them looking elsewhere for help. Here's how residents in rural New York are coping.

Emily Russell

Stories From This Author

President Trump wants to slash subsidies for small airports across rural America

Emily Russell

More than 180 airports in rural areas across the U.S. benefit from federal funding that guarantees commercial air service. That program might lose half its funding due to Trump administration cuts.
A tiny town in New York figures out what to do with a windfall of $100 million

Emily Russell

A tiny mountain town in northern New York is the beneficiary of a huge bequest. Now the 600 residents of Long Lake have to figure out what to do with it.
Some economies in rural America hit especially hard by prison closures

Emily Russell

The U.S. went through a prison-building boom decades ago. But today, many prisons are closing down, and that's hit some economies in rural America especially hard.