May 7, 1964, was a beautiful spring day in Knoxville. There were no thunderstorms, but a Texas-sized whirlwind swept into town that afternoon. President Lyndon B. Johnson flew in to stump for one of his "Great Society" proposals, a plan to elevate the quality of life for people in Appalachia.
In remarks at the Civic Coliseum that afternoon, Johnson told the audience about poor nutrition, stagnant economic mobility and educational struggles in Appalachia. He promised the federal government was going to do something about it.
The "something" was in large part carried out by an agency established in 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission. It's a federal-state partnership that distributes money intended to assist health programs, job training, broadband expansion and other focus areas.
Education, health care and economic mobility are still problems in the Appalachian region, from central New York to northwestern Mississippi. The agency's critics, particularly on the left, say too many of ARC's investments are made in urban areas, not the rural core of Appalachia.
ARC's supporters say the region would be far worse off today were it not for the agency's work. The number of economically distressed counties in the 13-state Appalachian region has dropped from 223 in 1965 to 84 in 2017. Graduation rates have improved, and infant mortality rates have fallen.
President Donald Trump’s preliminary budget plan calls for the ARC to be eliminated. To learn more about what that might mean, WUOT All Things Considered host Brandon Hollingsworth spoke with Aaron Astor, an assistant professor at Maryville College who specializes in Appalachian studies.