Schrier looks for shutdown impacts on ag, housing, hunger during Wenatchee visit

WENATCHEE — U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier spent Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Wenatchee taking stock of how the shutdown and related federal decisions are hitting the valley—starting with a walkthrough at Washington State University’s Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center (TFREC) and ending at the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council (CDCAC), where staff described rising demand for food and housing support.

At TFREC, entomologists showed Schrier a homegrown line of defense against Codling Moth: native entomopathogenic fungi isolated from local orchards and refined as potential biopesticides. “We found native pathogenic fungi here in Washington that already put natural pressure on Codling Moth in the fall,” said Rob Curtiss, a research assistant professor in WSU entomology. “We’re culturing them and selecting for traits we want — faster kill, better performance in dry or cold — and developing them into biopesticides.” One strain they’ve isolated is related to the “zombie ant” fungus, a first for Codling Moth, and may offer a locally adapted tool, Curtiss said. The scale is tangible: “Right now I’ve got 2,800 dead caterpillars in the lab. Each one could be a new strain.”

Researchers said the science is promising but exposed to funding uncertainty. Multi-year tree-fruit projects depend on steady review cycles and year-round equipment; recent pauses in grant reviews have created what one called a “momentum gap.” TFREC’s new plant-growth facility — financed with about $10 million in state funds, $6 million from WSU royalties, and $2 million in philanthropy — will cover “about 90% of our needs,” they said, but growth chambers and other gear are still needed for continuous work. Schrier encouraged the center to submit a community-project request through her office, saying historically those land at around “a million dollars,” subject to the final budget deal.

Beyond the day’s lab tour, the Wenatchee center plays an outsized role in a fruit-heavy regional economy. TFREC houses WSU and federal scientists who support apple, pear, and cherry growers with breeding, pest management, horticulture, and extension outreach. It is also a key site for WSU’s apple breeding program. In a state that leads the nation in apple production, the center’s research and field-level technical help are tightly linked to on-farm decisions and pack-house practices across North Central Washington.

In the afternoon, Schrier toured CDCAC’s new headquarters, stopping in counseling rooms, the pantry, and cold storage, and then sat with staff, AmeriCorps members and RSVP (AmeriCorps Seniors Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) volunteers, and partners for a roundtable on food security, utilities, and housing. Taking in the newly-opened space, she began with an observation that “it’s really nice to see all of your tax dollars come right back home,” and thanked the team for “bringing life to this place” at a time when the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are being cut and demand is climbing.

CDCAC Executive Director Alan Walker outlined the last program year: 31,000 people served overall (much of it food distribution); more than 3,300 people helped to keep lights and heat on through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); 485 volunteers contributing 80,000 hours, which is the equivalent of 37 full-time staff; roughly 1.5 million pounds of food moved annually, plus about 20,000 pounds in emergency rescue; and 66 people experiencing homelessness housed despite scarce vacancies.

That last number is no small percentage, either: Last year, the Chelan County-led “point in time” count of unhoused people specifically in Wenatchee in January counted 141 unsheltered people. This year’s count at the same point showed 104 unsheltered, or a more than 26% reduction, despite new people coming into the area.

Walker warned that if SNAP reductions proceed, about 12,000 people in the area will lose benefits, sending more households to CDCAC and partner pantries even as federal commodities decline and AmeriCorps program cuts bite.

Schrier said similar concerns are surfacing across her swing district. “I’m holding more town halls than ever. What I’m hearing is 90 to 95 percent worry about our communities, our democracy, health care, Social Security, Medicare,” she said, adding that these anti-fraud-framed cuts target programs that simply help people get by. On housing supply, she pointed to cross-laminated timber as a regional cost-cutter if milling and pre-cutting capacity grows, given local forests and high input costs.

Walker stressed that placements stay stable through coordination and trust. “We give landlords assurance,” he said. “We communicate with tenants, we visit them, and we’re there to support both the household and the property owner.” Schrier closed by urging CDCAC and its network to keep pressing their case with officials in both parties: “You will always have my support. Thank you for filling big gaps at a really tough time.”

Taken together, Schrier’s Wenatchee day tracked the same problem from two vantage points. In the morning, researchers described what it takes to keep foundational science moving for a tree-fruit economy; in the afternoon, frontline providers detailed what it takes to keep families fed, housed, and heated. Both depend on predictable federal decisions, and both, as voiced by people doing the work, feel the strain when those decisions stall or reverse.