Program Helping Brenham Recover from Blue Bell Crises Melts Away Under Trump Budget
The listeria outbreak at the Blue Bell factory in Brenham, Texas was devastating. It didn’t just take Blue Bell ice cream off Texas store shelves, it hit the community in Brenham right in the teeth. According to an August 2015 report from the Houston Chronicle, between the listeria outbreak that occurred in May 2015 and August of 2015, the unemployment rate in Washington County went up by 2 percent. Some estimates showed unemployment going up even more – up to 3.5 percent – as a result of the crisis.
Blue Bell fans may not have been able to get their ice cream fix, but the factory workers in Brenham who needed their jobs to take care of their families were in a real crisis. Thanks to an innovative grant program from the U.S. Department of Commerce, however, some hope has returned and help is finally available in Brenham.
But the hope and help may be short lived. The Trump Budget announced earlier this week would zero out the funding for the program that helped Brenham and places like it across the country.
Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant awarded in Brenham
Reacting to months of rising unemployment in Washington County, in August 2015 the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which is a program within the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced a $1.4 million dollar grant to the Economic Development Foundation of Brenham to expand workforce training and “attract new business to the area.”
Read more: http://www.lonestarproject.net/program-helping-brenham-recover-blue-bell-crises-melts-away-under-trump-budget#ixzz4biEkd26k