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Our economy is experiencing a devastating self-inflicted crisis. The tariffs unleashed by Trump are roiling markets for our products and increasing costs for goods needed by everyone. The average family may see increases of $4,000 or more in their living expenses. The cost of a new vehicle is estimated to increase by $2,500 to $12,000.

Farmers overwhelmingly voted for Trump. The rural vote is probably the difference that put him over the top in many swing states. His tariff fiasco has upended markets for many farm commodities and will further increase the cost of already expensive ag inputs, portending a further drop in farm income this year.

Admitting the potential damage that Trump’s tariffs may inflict on farmers, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins stated that the White House is already considering another huge $27 billion bailout for farmers.  The lion’s share of the expensive bailout will go to the multi-millionaire segment of producers. The small and specialty producers will be left with crumbs if anything.

I can sympathize with farmers and their suffering. The plans for Project 2025 were readily available before the election last fall, The segment on USDA program cuts was a dire warning for alert farmers who rightly believed that Trump would pursue his agenda.

Funding for programs essential for ordinary people to survive is being gutted, programs like Meals on Wheels, cutting 80,000 staff that serve our veterans, defunding school lunch programs, and public schools. USAID is being destroyed resulting in starving children and denied emergency health aid around the world which also stops epidemics before they reach us. 

This time around, special bailouts for farmers would probably be less popular since the lunatic that they overwhelmingly supported for president is harming so many of their rural friends and neighbors and hurting vulnerable segments of our society. At the same time Republicans are moving tax legislation that will primarily benefit billionaires and corporations with extravagant tax breaks. This is a huge giveaway to the rich at the expense of everyone else.

The bottom line is that we can’t afford Trumps economic crisis and the Republican majorities in congress who are supporting him. Especially in rural areas, all of us, not just farmers, will need a bailout if this keeps up.

Joe Pacovsky

Hayward, MN