This Budget Does Not Value Farm Country
“The president’s budget proposal is out of touch and ignores the needs of America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters and rural communities."
This was the response given on May 2nd by Rep. Angie Craig (D-Mn), the leading democrat on the House Agriculture committee, in response to President Trump's release of his 2026 budget.
"At a time when farmers are reeling from trade wars, funding freezes and mass layoffs at USDA, gutting technical assistance at the Farm Service Agency will make it impossible for farmers to access the resources they need to do their jobs ... A budget is a values document, and this budget does not value farm country," said Ranking Member Craig.
Hands holding wheat (image from the website of House Democrats on the Agriculture Committee, US Congress)
Some of the most egregious proposed cuts that will harm Kansas farmers include:
Ending conservation technical assistance.
Slashing funds for forestry programs and wildfire managmement.
Defunding the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides monthly food boxes to 700,000 seniors nationwide.
Eliminating funding for rural broadband expansion, community facility grants, rural business programs and rural housing loans.
Closing Agricultural Research Service facilities and reducing National Institute of Food and Agriculture funding
Cutting funding for the Economic Research Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service when they are already short-staffed
Eliminating Food for Peace, the United States’ flagship food aid program which purchases U.S.-grown products
Third District Representative Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) sits on the House Ag Committee and criticized the President's previous efforts to undermine farm country and food programs, even before this budget was released.
“From our family farmers to our school cafeterias, these local food programs have done exactly what they were designed to do: get nutritious food to students while creating stable, local markets for farmers,” said Davids during an in-district visit in April.
“Cutting them in the middle of the school year — without a plan to replace them — is reckless. I’m going to keep pushing for a bipartisan Farm Bill that puts Kansas families and producers first.”
For more information on national farm issues, visit https://democrats-agriculture.house.gov/ or stay in touch with Rep. Davids at https://davids.house.gov/media