Ahead of the congressional elections... Trump opens an $8 billion support fund for farmers

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch what he called a "new program to ease fuel burdens during the harvest season," which will provide farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs this season.

Trump added in a speech delivered in Kansas as part of his midterm election campaign: "I am also pleased to announce tonight that the Department of Agriculture will launch a new program to ease fuel burdens during the harvest season, providing our farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs for the season."

The announcement came as the latest installment in a series of financial promises and pledges the Republican president is making to voters ahead of the November midterm elections, which will determine who controls Congress, according to Reuters.

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The Republican Party currently holds a slim majority in both the Senate and the House. However, Trump's approval rating is slipping due to his handling of rising living costs for Americans amid the Iran war, which has driven up fuel prices.

Trump and the Republican Party are working hard to preserve support in agricultural states that are seeing intense competition for Senate seats, amid rising costs.

Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order stating he would expand access to tax‑exempt diesel.

Farm workers harvesting sweet yellow peppers near Gilroy, California; agriculture in the United States; crop harvest – (iStock).

The Department of Agriculture said after Trump's Monday speech that it will provide $8 billion "to make one‑time payments to American farmers in the current harvest season to ease their burden amid temporary market disruptions and rising input costs."

The program will deliver what the department described as "proportionate support to producers" through a uniform mechanism intended to cover a portion of the estimated losses for the 2026 crop season.