Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for farmers, in an attempt to offset rising diesel fuel prices. During his remarks at a rally in Kansas Monday night, Trump said incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall fought for it to happen. The president is in the state to stump for Marshall as he faces Democrat Adam Hamilton in the upcoming midterm election.
Marshall, a doctor, is currently in the seat that has been held by the GOP since 1919, the longest ever for any party. Election forecasters have shifted the race recently toward Democrats, however, as both Sabato’s Crystal Ball and The Cook Political Report have it rated as a Toss-Up. Meanwhile, midterm elections are commonly viewed as a test of the political environment facing the party in power, and the president's party has historically lost seats during them.
Republicans now hold a narrow majority in both the House and Senate. Trump's overall approval rating and ranking on specific policy issues like the economy, immigration, jobs and the ongoing war in Iran have slipped as households across America are consistently flagging affordability concerns. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.2953 and $6.3187 for diesel, according to AAA.
In Kansas, the average for a gallon of regular is $3.9783 and $6.0722 for diesel. The $8 billion will be made available for one-time payments to farmers during harvest season "to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs," the USDA said in a release on Monday. The program will provide proportional support to producers using a uniform formula, the USDA said, to cover a portion of losses incurred during the 2026 crop year.
The national loss average will be based on World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates prices and yields, cost of production estimates from Economic Research Service and Farm Service Agency's (FSA) reported planted acres. Rollins said in the release. This $8 billion dollar investment will help bring certainty to our farmers during this harvest so they can continue to feed our nation.” The program funds are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and will be administered through the FSA, the release says.
The USDA notes that commodity-specific payment rates for Title-I commodities will be released next month. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for the program, but producers are encouraged "to take advantage of the enhanced risk management tools included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future," the release says. Payment methodology for other eligible commodities will be announced later—per the release—and producers of non-Title-I commodities, like fisherman and specialty crop growers, are asked to provide data related to rising fuel costs to the USDA via email at [email protected] for consideration when determining the payment rates.
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