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The 5 most significant Kansas City stories tied to Trump’s executive orders

Stories by Kansas City Star journalists, with AI summarization

Trump’s executive orders are shaking Kansas City’s foundations, from public libraries to federal job sites. This list of stories outlines how community institutions and everyday workers are grappling with sweeping federal changes. Local museums like the Cass County Historical Society fear losing lifeline grants, while around 100 IRS employees at the Kansas City campus have already been abruptly fired.

Immigration rhetoric is escalating too, with Missouri GOP candidates making bold proposals that could hit KC’s migrant communities hardest. Meanwhile, cuts to KanCare threaten vital health care for thousands of Kansans, leaving families afraid for their future.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, left; Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, center, and state Sen. Bill Eigel are three declared or likely candidates for governor. The early positioning comes as Republicans begin to contemplate the future after Gov. Mike Parson terms out of office in January 2025.

NO. 1: AS MISSOURI GOP CANDIDATES TARGET MIGRANTS, WOULD KC AREA BEAR BRUNT OF FUTURE ACTION?

The Kansas City region has been a center of migrant arrivals in Missouri over the past decade, according to U.S. immigration court data. | Published July 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jonathan Shorman

Kansas City’s Internal Revenue Service employees are preparing for as many as 1,000 layoffs this week, a sweeping cut that would significantly impact one of the metro’s largest employers. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 2: AROUND 100 KANSAS CITY IRS WORKERS FIRED IN NATIONWIDE MASS TERMINATION, UNION LEADER SAYS

The employees were terminated in a move that will cripple an agency that has been understaffed and underfunded for years, the union leader said. | Published February 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kacen Bayless

Kelli McGlothlin sits for a portrait on Monday, March 3, 2025, in St. Joseph. A former IRS worker at the Kansas City office, McGlothlin was laid off as part of the DOGE cuts. By Emily Curiel

NO. 3: SHE LEFT MCDONALD’S FOR IRS JOB IN KC. TRUMP FIRINGS MADE HER FEEL LIKE ‘PIECE OF TRASH’

Kelli McGlothlin blames Elon Musk for the chaos inside the federal government. “If he’d stay out of the stuff, I think we would be fine,” she said. | Published March 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jonathan Shorman

Cass County Historical Society director Jennifer Reed pulls down a large record book while combing through the archives located at the Cass County Public Library Harrisonville Branch on Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025. By Dominick Williams

NO. 4: KC LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS IN ‘SCARY’ MOMENT AS TRUMP TARGETS AGENCY PROVIDING VITAL FUNDS

President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services has left Kansas City organizations in an uncertain moment. | Published March 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jonathan Shorman

NO. 5: TRUMP, REPUBLICANS AIM TO SLASH KANCARE. TELL OUR KANSAS POLITICIANS IT'S VITAL | OPINION

The state’s Medicaid program is vital to the health care of children, disabled people, older adults and many more. | Opinion | Published March 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Emily Meissen-Sebelius

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.