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Farmers feel the pain of their votes for Trump - what did they think would happen? [1]

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Date: 2025-02-10

“You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know ... morons” — The Waco Kid, Blazing Saddles

Trump is the most notorious liar elected president. His base thinks that’s part of his charm. However, even Trump sometimes tells the truth. For instance, he said he would shrink the government. And he’s doing his damnedest to honor that commitment. Exhibit #1: He has refused to spend congressionally approved money. Exhibit #2: he has unleashed the unguided missile Musk to slash $2 trillion in annual federal expenditures. (A patently ludicrous goal, as even Musk admits . But reality has no page in the MAGA playbook)

Yet farmers — who rely on government money — overwhelmingly voted for him . Now, they are reaping what they have sown. They are the self-created victims of the acronym du jour — FAFO.

These myth-believers took Trump at his word when he said that a federal funding freeze would not apply to the money they relied on. The Washington Post reports that Trump’s actions spoke more honestly than his words. In an article titled “Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds.” WaPo wrote :

Farmers report missing millions of dollars of funding they were promised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, despite promises from the Trump administration that a federal funding freeze would not apply to projects directly benefiting individuals. Donald Trump ordered the USDA to freeze funds for several programs designated by President Joe Biden’s signature clean-energy and health-care law, 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. On his first day in office, Presidentthe USDA to freeze funds for several programs designated by President Joe Biden’s signature clean-energy and health-care law, 2022 The freeze paused some funding for the department’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps farmers address natural resource concerns, and the Rural Energy for America Program, which provides financial assistance for farmers to improve their infrastructure.

In short, Biden gave them stuff, but they thought it a better idea to vote for the guy who thinks all the toys are his. I don’t know how you connect those dots.

The WaPo article continues:

Farmers who signed contracts with the USDA under those programs paid up front to build fencing, plant new crops and install renewable energy systems with guarantees that the federal government would issue grants and loan guarantees to cover at least part of their costs. Now, with that money frozen, they’re on the hook.

Trump not only lied to farmers, he kept their money frozen even after a federal judge told him to unfreeze it . The administration said it would obey the judicial directive. But that was another lie. The article explains:

But over the weekend, farmers reported that their funding remained frozen — another blow to farmers who are also facing threats of tariffs and freezes to foreign-aid spending that involved food purchased from American producers.

At this point, any farmer who still thinks a vote for Trump is to their benefit is suffering from battered spouse syndrome. They have convinced themselves that as injurious as their relationship with the abuser is, it beats the alternative. It’s fecking nuts.

Here are some of the victims and their trade group spokespeople.

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew

Last Wednesday, Larew testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee that the Trump administration’s sweeping decisions on federal funding were creating concern for farmers across the country. He said :

“No one knows what funding will be available or if key programs will have the staff needed to operate. Freezing spending and making sweeping decisions without congressional oversight just adds more uncertainty to an already tough farm economy.”

No shit Sherlock. Who did you vote for?

Skylar Holden, a cattle farmer in eastern Missouri In December 2024, Holden signed a $240,000 contract under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to share costs on investments for his farm. With the money, he installed fencing and a well. He had planned further improvements and spent $80,000 on materials and labor contracts. He expected he would be paid back in part by the feds.

Then, a USDA representative told him Trump’s executive order had put the kibosh on his funding. Holden reports on the exchange: “I asked her, ‘Is there any word on when they’re going to be unfrozen?’. Is it going to be frozen indefinitely?’ She didn’t have any answers for me.” Who did Holden vote for? Laura Beth Resnick, a flower farmer in Maryland Resnick signed a contract for the USDA to cover half of a $72,900 solar panel installation. In late January, the feds told her they had rejected her anticipated reimbursement because of Trump’s executive order. Like many people who have been shafted by Trump, she’s feeling pain. “I really don’t know what we would do. It just feels like I can’t even really think about it. We don’t have a whole lot of capital to hire a lawyer.” Even if she did have the money to hire a lawyer, I’m guessing it would cost more to sue the government than she would realize in a favorable judgment — for which there is no guarantee. The Iowa Soybean Association

On Thursday, this group said that USDA payments had been suspended for a five-year Midwest Climate Smart Commodity grant that the organization secured in 2022. More than 1,000 farms in 12 Midwestern states relied on the $95 million grant. Now 100s of farmers are owed $11 million after investing in new farming practices and crops. Even if they eventually get the money from Trump — and there is no guarantee — wouldn’t it have been less stressful to vote for Harris and just cash the checks? Where are the Democrats?

This deluded thinking raises questions, where are the Democrats? Why aren’t they making political hay from this? So far, their outrage has been limited to sending a letter to the acting Agriculture Secretary, Gary Washington. In it, the Democratic members of the House Agriculture and Appropriations Committees wrote:

“Pulling the rug out from these recipients runs counter to the mission of the USDA and will quickly and significantly cripple economic development in rural America,”

Why not write, “Trump’s policies are bankrupting American farmers. Why are you spitting on people who voted for you?”

Trump, his Cabinet, his congressional lackeys, the red state governments, and his unofficial “special government employees” are already hurting people. And we haven’t begun to see the inflationary bite of his tariff and immigration insanity. It’s time for the Democrats to get off the bench and start playing like the Philadelphia Eagles (and I write that as a New Yorker).

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