Trump’s policies are hurting farmers and Tom Barrett isn’t helping us

Farmers like myself are struggling right now. We’re scrambling to keep our operations afloat. Seventy percent of farmers say that they’re unable to afford the fertilizer that they need to start the growing season. Energy costs are going through the roof. The Trump administration gave farmers a one-time $12 billion “bridge payment” in February this year, but most of that money was merely spent on remaining debt that our operations incurred. All of this is leading to a crisis: farmers are simply stopping production altogether.

What does all of this mean? Rotten crops in the field and less food in grocery stores, which will drive up costs for you and your family. On top of this, we still don’t have a new farm bill to instill greater security for how we plan our long-term operations — and the new version of the farm bill House Republicans put forward misses the mark in many ways.

But one thing is certain: we need elected officials who will stand up against these reckless tariffs, expensive wars that are driving up costs for farmers and everyone else, and deep cuts to agriculture and rural funding at the federal level. Unfortunately, Congressman Tom Barrett is failing on all counts.

Rural communities have arguably been hurt the most due to President Trump’s policies. Almost one in four rural Americans rely on Medicaid for health care, and nearly one in seven rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. Additionally, many farmers take SNAP dollars as payment for their products, serving as an important form of income. Since Michigan’s former Sen. Debbie Stabenow championed the Double Up Food Bucks program, allowing SNAP recipients to double their purchasing power when buying fresh fruit and vegetables, we’ve seen the success of this program and how this kind of support can be expanded and improved upon.

While families go hungry, we are looking for leadership at all levels of government to protect this assistance. Let’s be clear: Nobody is looking for a handout. But with grocery bills the way they are, our elected officials should be doing everything possible to alleviate the stress that we’re all facing — not making the situation worse. Tom Barrett has stood by these cuts, even going as far as saying that he was “proud” to take away these critical lifelines for his constituents by voting for the budget reconciliation package last year. Often known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” this legislation cut hundreds of millions from Medicaid and SNAP over the next decade. 

Barrett’s vote clearly made his constituents angry, because some organized a food drive in front of his office after his “yes” vote. In fact, Tom Barrett has led the charge to have state governments turn over data about who is receiving food stamps in an effort to delegitimize SNAP. Despite Barrett’s office claiming that food assistance dollars are going untouched, this budget reconciliation package he voted for in 2025 led to the largest drop in funding for SNAP in history. Of course, this was all to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

Independent family farmers like myself are just trying to get by, and the agriculture policy that we’re seeing from the Trump administration has been unhelpful to say the least. Now, with a budget from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that intensifies cuts to programs for farmers and rural communities, we’re left wondering who these policies actually benefit. At the end of the day, who is going to want to live in rural communities when there are no opportunities for folks?

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins recently visited East Lansing alongside Rep. Barrett where Rollins essentially lied in public about the proposed closure of U.S. Forest Service offices across the state, while the congressman stood there in silence. So much for bringing jobs to rural areas.  All this administration is doing is eliminating them. 

Lawmakers in Washington have a responsibility to stand up to these disastrous policies that will imperil independent family farmers and rural communities. We need a farm bill and other federal policies that will sufficiently invest in the hardworking folks who feed our country while ensuring that nobody goes hungry. I encourage our Michigan congressional delegation to oppose the current version of the farm bill and Trump’s USDA budget. I hope that Tom Barrett does right by his constituents by voting against them instead of falling in line with the Trump agenda.