Submitted Photo A lead organizer for North Dakota protests, showing disapproval of aggressive spending cuts under the Trump administration, says people like her come with a nonpartisan tone. She said what’s happening doesn’t represent the American values she was taught. Photo from Adobe Stock.

Backlash is mounting across the U.S. in response to the Trump administration’s consistent push to cut federal staffing and programs. North Dakotans not happy with these moves joined another wave of protests April 5.

Organizers in towns and cities nationwide led what was billed as “Hands Off” events. Demonstrators wanted to bring renewed focus to the level of cuts pursued by the White House and the abrupt manner in which they’re being carried out.

Lyn Dockter-Pinnick, lead of the grassroots group Red River United Indivisible, feels uneasy about what she calls a “slash and burn” mentality within the administration.

“And so, the concept of “Hands Off” is really not only saying, ‘This isn’t right, this isn’t OK,’ but also just concern over the speed and the upheaval that is happening,” she said.

She is worried about services for military veterans, such as suicide prevention. The White House says it wants to root out waste and fraud. Dockter-Pinnick says reform is important, but adds that checks and balances are being ignored, citing the influence of wealthy adviser Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Regional events were held in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Minot.

While North Dakota residents express their frustration, state agencies and nonprofits are adjusting on the fly as cuts are announced. Federal officials recently began laying off 10,000 Health and Human Services workers.

Seth O’Neill, executive director of the North Dakota Domestic & Sexual Violence Coalition, said that includes staffers who oversee grants his network of crisis centers relies on.

“It’s unnerving when you don’t know who to call to get answers because you don’t know who is still employed at the federal government,” he said.

While the actual prevention grants haven’t been cut yet, O’Neill is still worried about their fate. He notes that for these crisis centers, federal funding makes up 30% of their budgets. Late last month, North Dakota Health and Human Services officials were left scrambling after being notified that several grants, focusing on substance abuse and mental-health treatment, were terminated early.