President Donald Trump promised farmers gathered at the White House on Friday that he would get them more funding relief from Congress.
“I’m promising to request additional farm relief for our great patriots in the next funding bill,” Trump said. “So we have you taken care of in both instances, and we’re pushing very hard for the new farm bill.”
Congress is working on this year’s farm bill but is also eyeing a second party-line megabill that could include GOP priorities ahead of the midterm elections.
It is unclear which funding bill the president wants to see include funding for farmers. The Washington Examiner has reached out to the White House for clarification.
The president’s promise of additional help comes at a critical time for farmers, who are being strained by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war.
The strait, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies are shipped, is also a chokepoint for global fertilizer. Before the war, a third of the global seaborne fertilizer trade traveled through the passage, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Trump only mentioned the Iran war one time during his remarks to assure farmers that the United States is doing “really well” in the military conflict.
A slew of other policy changes and programs were also announced by Trump and his administration for farmers, including new loan guarantees, an end to requirements that farm equipment have diesel exhaust fluid sensors, and new renewable fuel standards.
The Small Business Administration will provide the new loan guarantees through its International Trade Loan program.
Trump also told the crowd gathered on the South Lawn that he was going to ask Congress for approval to sell E15, a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol, year-round. Proponents of the fuel say it would lower gas prices, and farmers support the idea because it would lead to increased demand for corn, which is used to make ethanol.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued emergency waivers to allow E15 gasoline sales, which is otherwise only allowed for part of the year due to environmental concerns, in an effort to ease pain at the gas pump earlier this week.
For the event, three tractors were placed onto the South Lawn, including one painted gold that was signed by administration officials.
“That’s a beautiful tractor,” Trump said in reference to the gold tractor. “Somebody had me in mind. What’s that all about? That’s a hell of a tractor.”
Trump continued his speech for a time before coming back to the tractors, “Do you mind if I step over here and just look at that tractor for a second? Because I assume it’s a gift to me.”
He continued, “Oh boy, can you imagine if I accepted that gift, what they would do? A Democrat can accept. We’re not allowed to accept. No, but that’s a beautiful machine. I love — We make the greatest machines. That’s a beautiful, beautiful machine.”
TRUMP CULTIVATES FARMER LOYALTY AMID FUEL AND FERTILIZER PRICE STRAIN FROM IRAN WAR
During his remarks, Trump said he has asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to work to lower the costs of building a tractor, and called on tractor manufacturers to, in turn, lower tractor and equipment costs for farmers.
“I think it’s going to have a huge impact,” Trump said. “And Lee, when you do this, I really want you to mandate to the companies to sell the equipment cheaper, not to get the same price, and make a spread of, could be six or seven thousand dollars a machine. So we’ll work on that together.”