During Thursday's town hall, hosted by Democratic lawmakers, Western North Carolina leaders said federal spending cuts will have a wide-ranging negative impacts on the region.
Buncombe County lawmakers N.C. Reps. Lindsey Prather, Brian Turner, Eric Ager, and N.C. Sen. Julie Mayfield spoke.
The town hall was held at A-B Tech Thursday evening, one week after U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards held a town hall in the same venue.
The evening concluded with a question and answer with the audience members. Questions ranged from topics like immigration, economic output, Trump’s administration’s firing of federal workers, and agriculture.
Turner, who represents House District 116, said funding cuts at the USDA will have a ripple effect over time.
“ Farmers across the country and in North Carolina are being impacted by this,” Turner said. “Farmers depend on markets in order to sell their goods. It has a huge impact on commodity farmers, which we don't have a huge number of here in the mountains.”
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