Trump Funding Freeze Leaves Rural Red State Voters in 'Ruins'

Report finds CCAMPIS program cuts disproportionately impact low-income student parents in rural areas.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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A new report from The Daily Yonder reveals that President Donald Trump's disruption of the federal Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program is leaving rural, red-state voters in dire financial straits. The funding freeze for the program, which subsidizes childcare for low-income student parents, is hitting rural colleges and families hard, potentially forcing some students to drop out due to unaffordable childcare costs.

Why it matters

The CCAMPIS program cuts are expected to have an outsized impact on rural, Republican-leaning voters who overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2024. This could lead to a backlash against the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections, as rural voters who are suffering under Trump's economic policies may vote to oust Republican candidates.

The details

The CCAMPIS program provides federal grants to colleges to subsidize childcare, academic support, and family resources for low-income student parents. But the Trump administration has put a freeze on new program applications, while Republican majorities in Congress have refused to reauthorize the funding. This has left many rural colleges and student families in limbo, facing the prospect of losing critical childcare assistance. For some families, the loss of CCAMPIS funding could mean an increase of $2,000 per semester in childcare costs, which many can't afford.

  • The Trump administration has put CCAMPIS program applications on hold.
  • Republican majorities in Congress have refused to reauthorize CCAMPIS funding.

The players

The Daily Yonder

A nonprofit outlet covering rural issues.

Jinann Bitar

Analytics director at student-advocate program EdTrust.

Maddie Sweetman

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student parent and mother of two.

Chelsea Newman

Director of the UW–Whitewater Children's Center.

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What they’re saying

“They've left [colleges] with the ruins of deciding how to move forward with their on-campus program if they potentially don't have access to CCAMPIS funds.”

— Jinann Bitar, Analytics director at EdTrust (The Daily Yonder)

“With CCAMPIS being cut, all of a sudden the cost increased by about $2,000 for the semester, which is still less than average childcare costs. But we're not making a lot of money, so it's still a large chunk.”

— Maddie Sweetman, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student parent (The Daily Yonder)

“Not receiving CCAMPIS funding will create more hardship and more stress. It will probably make it more difficult for [student parents] to continue going to school and getting their degree. Without the funds, it's gonna put more stress on the families, for sure, just on all fronts.”

— Chelsea Newman, UW–Whitewater Children's Center director (The Daily Yonder)

What’s next

The Trump administration is now moving the CCAMPIS program from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services, further destabilizing the program's future.

The takeaway

The CCAMPIS program cuts are expected to have a disproportionate impact on rural, Republican-leaning voters who relied on the subsidized childcare assistance to remain enrolled in college. This could lead to a backlash against the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections, as rural voters suffering under Trump's economic policies may vote to oust Republican candidates.