Elections have consequences. The latest group of folks to find out that they were duped are.....FARMERS!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is showing just how much they value hard working farmers in America: ZERO. Reuters is reporting that the Department said earlier this week that it will "cut funding for a national network of centers that have supported thousands of small- and mid-sized farm and food businesses" The cuts come after previous cancellations of local food banks and climate friendly farming initiatives that I guess they deem unimportant.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed the cuts, saying in a statement that they chose to cut the Regional Food Business Centers program because they were determined to be "not financially sustainable."
Of the 12 centers currently open, four will close immediately. The other eight have enough grants to run until May of 2026. Rollins added that "USDA will honor existing commitments for over 450 grants to farmers and food businesses to ensure planning decisions on the farm can continue as normal, however stakeholders should not plan on this program continuing."
In other words: As of May of 2026, farmers can count on zero dollars from the Trump administration.
Compare that to President Biden, who spent over $400 million to open the very centers Trump plans to shut down. Biden's effort was to "increase resilience and competition in the U.S. food supply chain" and the centers "provided training or technical assistance to more than 5,500 farms and businesses, according to a 2024 progress report."
Farmers voted overwhelmingly against their own interests, yet again. Oh well.