Trump Administration Strips $19.8M Environmental Grant from Historic Black Neighborhood

Aging Infrastructure and Health Hazards Plague Dewey City

Earl Williams drove through Dewey City, a historic Black neighborhood in his hometown of Thomasville, Georgia, and barely recognized what he saw. Homes that once belonged to friends, family, and neighbors now displayed siding covered in mold. Some properties stood boarded up, while others revealed holes in their roofs. The structures have crumbled, extending the decline beyond the buildings themselves.

Black churches once used Oquina Creek, which runs along the neighborhood’s border, to baptize their congregants. Today, fecal bacteria and other contaminants have made the water unsafe due to an aging wastewater system. “Sometimes you get the feeling like you’re in a Third World country,” Williams said. After three decades in Washington, D.C., he returned four years ago with a mission to revitalize communities such as Dewey City, which he said are “part of what makes Thomasville, Thomasville.”

A $19.8 million Community Change Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency was supposed to shift the tides of the neighborhood Williams grew up in. The city and the Thomasville Community Development Corp., where Williams formerly served as community development director, applied for the grant in 2024. The Biden administration initiated a broader $2 billion effort, which included the funding to help disadvantaged communities address environmental health risks and create clean energy and climate resiliency projects.

Federal Funding Stripped from 80 Communities Nationwide

Three months after winning the grant, Thomasville became one of 80 communities across the country-from Hawai’i to Alabama to Massachusetts-to see the funding stripped as priorities shifted in Donald Trump’s second presidency. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” The order stated that the Biden administration “forced illegal and immoral discrimination” through diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

In an emailed statement, EPA spokesperson Mike Bastasch said the administration is “fully committed to being a great steward of taxpayer dollars.” He added that the “radical agenda” of DEI and environmental justice “preferencing” are not within the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment. The administration classified environmental justice initiatives sweepingly as part of its broader DEI elimination effort.

Advocates Challenge Administration’s Scientific Basis

Environmental health advocates argue that the decision to cut the grants lacks scientific basis. They maintain that equating environmental justice to DEI represents an act of bad faith. These advocates say that withholding the money forces disenfranchised communities to delay long-overdue updates needed to protect public health for marginalized populations.

The stripped funding leaves communities like Dewey City facing continued exposure to hazards that wealthier neighborhoods would never tolerate. Residents must continue using water systems contaminated with fecal bacteria while living in homes deteriorating from neglect. The public health implications extend beyond immediate discomfort to create long-term health risks for vulnerable populations.

Public Health Infrastructure Faces Uncertain Future

The cancellation of environmental grants reflects a broader shift in federal priorities under the new administration. Community development organizations that spent months or years preparing grant applications now face an uncertain path forward. Local officials must scramble to identify alternative funding sources or scale back critical infrastructure improvements that address environmental health risks.

For neighborhoods like Dewey City, the loss represents more than cancelled projects. It symbolizes a reversal of federal commitment to addressing environmental disparities that disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color. The aging wastewater system continues to contaminate local water sources, while mold-covered homes threaten respiratory health. Boarded-up properties signal economic decline and community disinvestment.

Community Leaders Assess Next Steps

Williams and other community development advocates now face the challenge of revitalizing their neighborhoods without the federal support they counted on. The $19.8 million grant would have funded comprehensive improvements to water infrastructure, housing rehabilitation, and climate resiliency measures. Local organizations must now determine whether state or private funding sources can fill the gap left by the cancelled federal grant.

The broader implications affect how environmental health programs will operate under the current administration. Federal agencies face pressure to reframe their missions around narrower definitions of environmental protection that may exclude considerations of equity and disproportionate impact. Communities across the country watch closely to see whether other environmental justice initiatives will face similar cuts or rebranding efforts.