In Appalachia, some worry about Trump’s budget proposal

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate the Appalachian Regional Commission has alarmed many throughout the region that have relied on the federal agency for a job.

Crystal Snyder was trying to figure out life as a single mom when she lost her job at a West Virginia T-shirt factory. Now she has a full-time job and is working toward an associate’s degree with the help of a grant from the commission. She said the program has helped her in ways she can’t understand yet.

Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers called Trump’s proposal “careless and counterproductive.” But many Republican leaders in the region, including Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, have become frustrated by the influx of government programs they say is not the answer to the area’s problems.