DOGE hits, insurance premiums and school vouchers underscore 2025 in health and education

When I majored in print journalism at the University of Montana many years ago, I was surprised to discover I had to take a wide variety of general studies courses over the first two years. I learned about everything from microeconomics to geology and Latin American literature. 

This year at WyoFile proved to me once again the wisdom in this approach. Because while I’m primarily an education and health reporter, the range of issues I covered extended well beyond that — from the politics embattling libraries to the fate of a popular hot springs destination and legal nuances of trail behavior in national parks. 

For me, the year’s biggest story was covering the potential and real impacts of President Donald Trump’s DOGE efforts on Wyoming. That, too, involved more than education — extending to public lands, the social safety net, child care and many other areas.

WyoFile’s first major DOGE piece, an all-hands collaboration of reporters and editors, recounted what became known as the “Valentine’s Day massacre,” when untold numbers of federal employees were fired.

For months after that initial article, we could barely keep up with the flood of news related to program cuts. Advocates worried that diminished resources would hobble outdoor recreation, harm public lands and hollow out tribal programs. DOGE efforts hammered humanities groups and slashed services at places like Devils Tower. I interviewed people, like a Laramie library specialist, who lost their jobs. 

Trump administration cuts also triggered a great deal of panic and uncertainty among groups that nearly lost their funding. Three such groups included Wyoming Job Corps, Adult Education programs at community colleges and after-school programs. Along with meeting the people who fuel these programs, I learned how federal funds prop up Wyoming-tailored initiatives and the benefits they bring. All three are arguably critical for those who use them. 

What else kept me busy? 

A Laramie lawmaker brought a bill to establish a universal school voucher program in Wyoming, igniting months of debate, legislative negotiations, a fish-fry business boycott and a lawsuit challenging the program’s constitutionality. That case is ongoing, and in the meantime, the program has been put on hold. 

Statewide property tax reforms kicked in, rippling downstream to where diminishing revenues meant painful budget cuts for hospital districts, county governments and services like libraries. 

Speaking of libraries, partisan fights erupted in more Wyoming branches over who should determine what materials are appropriate for children, pitting free speech concerns against censorship.

Another pitched education battle unfolded in the town of Alpine. This one was over the town’s long-established need for a school, which resulted in the selection of a charter school provider not everyone was pleased with. 

And of course, there were court fights. These included disputed rulings on how Wyoming funds education, a challenge over the fate of the popular Star Plunge aquatic facility in Hot Springs State Park and the federal trial over speed runner Michelino Sunseri’s notorious shortcut on the Grand Teton. 

The Sunseri case was full of twists and turns, but none more surprising than the November news that President Donald Trump had pardoned Sunseri. As Sunseri himself posted on social media, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

Health care saw shakeups this year due to federal policy. When Congress passed Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” it cut Medicaid and did not extend temporary COVID-era tax subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance plans. With those subsidies expiring at the end of the year, costs are surging for consumers in Wyoming, which leads the country with the highest price jumps. Health advocates fear the price spikes will result in more uninsured residents, more uncompensated care and less preventative care. 

Another thing the Big Beautiful Bill did, however, was create the Rural Health Transformation Program, an initiative designed to funnel $50 billion to states over five years to stabilize and strengthen rural hospitals and providers. Wyoming stands to receive up to $800 million, and its application proposes everything from nursing grants to EMS incentives to a state-run insurance plan.

Amid the tumult, politics and divisiveness of 2025, I also made an effort to shine a spotlight on stories of resilience, passion and innovation. I wrote about the people who step up to shape their communities and honor their past.

I profiled Wyoming’s farm-to-school food evangelist, a small but mighty orchestra maestro leading a scrappy central Wyoming symphony, a teacher whose pioneering literacy instruction is changing the lives of older students, and the people growing year-round strawberries in a high-tech indoor western Wyoming farm. 

In 2025, Wyoming also lost the towering and mischievous statesman Al Simpson and Dick Cheney, a Casper boy who went on to become America’s most powerful vice president. 

Selfishly, these stories of remarkable Wyoming lives buoy my spirit. Thankfully, they also make great copy. 

Happy New Year, and thanks always for reading.