The policies that the Trump administration is pursuing — illegal layoffs of federal workers, mass deportations, constant threats and retractions of broad-based tariffs, Medicaid spending cuts — are bad for the economy. These policies are also being pursued with maximum levels of chaos, creating unprecedented levels of economic uncertainty.
In Colorado, where business leaders have historically had high levels of confidence, we’ve seen their sentiment tank. According to CU Boulder researchers, “Business confidence took the second-steepest dive ahead of Q2 2025, resting at the third-lowest level in the 23-year history of the Leeds Business Confidence Index,” mostly on account of “uncertainty surrounding new federal policies.”
The new administration is hurting our economy. We have to shore up our local economy to subvert the government’s attacks on our country and sustain ourselves through the next four years of Trump’s reign.
Strengthening our economy through collective action requires collaboration and imagination. But we don’t have to create solutions out of whole cloth: There are historic and present-day examples that we can draw on to take back control. Instead of being at the whims of the global supply chain, Jeff Bezos' greed and DOGE’s chaos, we can create a system of reciprocity rooted in place.
The food system is an excellent example. In the pandemic, we experienced a huge disruption to food access as the supply chain broke down. It’s possible that this will happen again, but we can prepare. We have local farmers and ranchers here in Colorado and our immediate surrounding states, who need our support and patronage. Advocating for more state support for them — by creating state-based processing centers and investing in our food source through organizations like SOIL and local CSAs — are ways that we as individuals can strengthen our food system in Boulder County and the state.
Another example is how we can address disaster preparedness. The Trump administration’s disinvestment from emergency preparedness is shocking in the face of the increasing risk of natural disasters in Colorado. But creative partnerships, like the one between Grama Grass and Livestock and the city of Louisville, widen the aperture on the collaborations that are possible. Ranchers at Grama Grass move their herd around the city to graze and provide wildfire mitigation. It’s an excellent example of how our community can come together, across industries, to address big issues.
Strengthening the small businesses in our community through our patronage is another powerful action. For every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, roughly $68 to $73 stays in the community, according to Amy Hartzler, director of communications at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. Local businesses are more likely to hire employees from the community, purchase goods and services from other local businesses, and reinvest profits within the community. Alternatively, only about $43 remains local when spending at a national chain because a large portion of the revenue from chain stores goes to corporate HQ and shareholders.
Markets and the economy have power. Boycotts of big corporations like Amazon, Target and Tesla have an impact. Shopping local keeps more money in our local economy and strengthens the fabric of the community.
Finally, to fortify our economy, we need to be together. Get out of your house, go to the coffee shop, talk to people, join a group, volunteer. Being together is what is going to create the connections that provide the possibility of revolutionary change and a helping hand, which we’ll all need over the next four years.
Maybe you don’t care about the actions of the Trump administration, but you will care when the infrastructure and institutions of our city and state start to crumble. You don’t have to become part of the resistance, but you can contribute to civil society. In our daily actions and connections, we can work together to strengthen Boulder County and improve the resilience of this wonderful place.
Andrea Steffes-Tuttle is a cultural anthropologist, writer and the founder and lead researcher at the Worker Equity Lab, where she studies shared ownership and its economic impact.