President Donald J. Trump applauds the crowd prior to delivering remarks in support of the Farmers to Families Food Box in, 2020 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
President Donald Trump has slashed social programs for inner city minorities, low-income children, starving Americans and many other vulnerable groups. Yet one of the groups that has consistently supported him just got a major bailout.
“The lower chamber voted 213-210 to pass the agriculture, rural development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and related agencies appropriations bill,” reported The Hill's Sudiksha Kochi on Thursday. “Five Republicans voted against the bill, while four Democrats voted in favor.”
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) argued that the legislation is necessary to protect American farmers, who are struggling immensely due to Trump policies including his tariffs, his mass deportations and his war against Iran. Each of these policies have raised prices or depleted their workforce, and farmers have openly expressed distress over their declining quality of life even as they remain largely loyal to the president.
According to Cole, the $7.1 billion bill “delivers targeted investments to support farmers and ranchers, prioritize food and drug safety, and reinforces important research and innovation.” It also allocates money to the FDA to “keep foods, drugs and devices safe,” as well as $1.16 billion to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and to enhance the “tracking system of foreign-owned land.”
In April, an Economist/YouGov poll revealed that overwhelming majorities of American farmers remain staunchly pro-Trump, even though substantial numbers also realize his policies are hurting them.
“Twenty-seven percent of rural respondents said it would be ‘impossible’ to cover an unexpected $1,000 bill. It would be easy to blame Mr Trump for the downturn,” The Economist wrote. “After all, he campaigned on promises to bring down prices and revive the heartland. But rural America does not.”
The Economist reported how the owner of Illinois used-equipment house Kerr Auction “says in tough years more tractors come in from families of farmers who have taken their own lives. He now expects to see more.”
Democratic strategist Max Burns independently observed that “the suicide rate in rural communities is now 3.5 times the national average and climbing ... [as] farmers buckle under the financial strain of crippling agricultural tariffs, rising input costs and a president who didn’t bother to mention them once in his most recent State of the Union address."
Yet The Economist added that, in addition to standing behind Trump, the farmers hoped that he would soon eventually provide them with economic relief so that his tariffs, deportations and war will not continue to negatively impact their collective bottom line. Even still, it is unclear whether this new relief measure will do that.