Trump joint session speech: "So to our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you too. I love you too."

[MotoToTheMax]

When I asked what would make you consider a man "bad" you said something judging no one - what should I infer from that if not what I did infer?

Yeah, political debate.

If a person cackles, that just might be enough to consider them bad. Something like that.

 

[essentialsaltes]

'We did not vote for this': Trump-backing farmers in 'state of shock' over tariff chaos​

Have a lot of fun!

 

[essentialsaltes]

'Really devastating': Farmers now warn Trump plans risk tanking 'entire rural economy'​

According to a news release from The Food Depot and the New MexicoFarmers Marketing Association, last year, the RF2FB [Regional Farm to Food Bank] program accounted for 34% of all institutional purchases from small and midsize producers in the New Mexico Grown program.

Now that program will simply end.

“Without this support, we risk losing more than income; we risk losing the ability to sustain our land, our families, and our way of life,” Manny Encinias, owner of Trilogy Beef and Buffalo Creek Ranch in Moriarty, New Mexico said in a statement. “This decision doesn’t just impact ranchers. It threatens the entire rural economy, including locally owned businesses like our USDA meat processing facility, which depends on ranching families like us to stay in operation. Perhaps most concerning, it makes it even harder to bring the next generation back to the ranch.”

“It’s not like turning water on from a sink,” she said. “It takes time for farmers to put crops in the ground, for ranchers to…get their operations adjusted to new market opportunities. And so when something like this is really an abrupt end to a program, it just puts the brakes on everything that had been building beautifully for the last few years.”

Have a lot of fun!

 

[essentialsaltes]

GOP Lawmaker Walks Off Stage After Furious Wyoming Town Hall Crowd Chant ‘Deport Elon’​

A former government worker took the mic, blasting Hageman over DOGE’s actions ... “I was fired from the Department of Agriculture despite having top performance reviews. You’re in a state where farmers depend on government relief—what are you doing to protect those programs?” the woman demanded. The crowd erupted in support.

Hageman’s response was dismissive: “I disagree,” she said, while the boos continued. “I come from the ag community. I am well aware of what kind of programs are out there.” She then claimed that small businesses and farmers would thrive in a less-regulated environment, despite the crowd’s clear disapproval.

 

[essentialsaltes]

She hoped Trump would revive her farm. Now she worries his policies could bankrupt it.​

Rebecca Carlson planned to use a USDA grant to hire overseas workers for her cherry harvest. A funding freeze has left her in debt and unsure whether she can hire the workers.

“I’ll admit to you, I bleed Republican. However, this has left a sour taste in my mouth,” Carlson said. “During Trump’s first administration, a lot of farmers — not all, but a lot of farmers — saw the positive side to his tariffs and to his agricultural dealings."

"Now, we’re not seeing that," she said. "Now, we’re seeing the actual opposite.”

Carlson says she doesn’t have much time to wait to solve her problems. Her farm had been awarded a grant worth $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pay for the costs associated with hiring seasonal workers from overseas through the H-2A visa program, which farmers have used for years to hire temporary agricultural workers.

Farmers like Carlson have been unable to get reimbursed for expenses they’ve already incurred under the grant, and there has been no official guidance from the USDA on whether they will get reimbursed for future expenses

Carlson has already spent $200,000 of her own money that she was expecting to get reimbursed under her grant’s contract. Without that money in her bank account, she doesn’t expect to have the funds to pay her existing staff to get through the growing season.

“We’re at that point where if we don’t get this funding, there could be issues of bankruptcy,” she said. “The American farmer is failing right now because you’re freezing funding meant to help the American farmer.”

Have a lot of fun!

 

[BPPLEE]

She hoped Trump would revive her farm. Now she worries his policies could bankrupt it.​

Rebecca Carlson planned to use a USDA grant to hire overseas workers for her cherry harvest. A funding freeze has left her in debt and unsure whether she can hire the workers.

“I’ll admit to you, I bleed Republican. However, this has left a sour taste in my mouth,” Carlson said. “During Trump’s first administration, a lot of farmers — not all, but a lot of farmers — saw the positive side to his tariffs and to his agricultural dealings."

"Now, we’re not seeing that," she said. "Now, we’re seeing the actual opposite.”

Carlson says she doesn’t have much time to wait to solve her problems. Her farm had been awarded a grant worth $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pay for the costs associated with hiring seasonal workers from overseas through the H-2A visa program, which farmers have used for years to hire temporary agricultural workers.

Farmers like Carlson have been unable to get reimbursed for expenses they’ve already incurred under the grant, and there has been no official guidance from the USDA on whether they will get reimbursed for future expenses

Carlson has already spent $200,000 of her own money that she was expecting to get reimbursed under her grant’s contract. Without that money in her bank account, she doesn’t expect to have the funds to pay her existing staff to get through the growing season.

“We’re at that point where if we don’t get this funding, there could be issues of bankruptcy,” she said. “The American farmer is failing right now because you’re freezing funding meant to help the American farmer.”

Have a lot of fun!

Wait, where did all the talk about corporate welfare go?
I could make a lot of money if the government gave me $400,000 to pay my seasonal staff
"Poor me, I can't keep leaching off the government and taking advantage of migrants "

 

[Aryeh Jay]

GOP Lawmaker Walks Off Stage After Furious Wyoming Town Hall Crowd Chant ‘Deport Elon’​

A former government worker took the mic, blasting Hageman over DOGE’s actions ... “I was fired from the Department of Agriculture despite having top performance reviews. You’re in a state where farmers depend on government relief—what are you doing to protect those programs?” the woman demanded. The crowd erupted in support.

Hageman’s response was dismissive: “I disagree,” she said, while the boos continued. “I come from the ag community. I am well aware of what kind of programs are out there.” She then claimed that small businesses and farmers would thrive in a less-regulated environment, despite the crowd’s clear disapproval.

No worries, he will be reelected with no issues.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

She hoped Trump would revive her farm. Now she worries his policies could bankrupt it.​

Rebecca Carlson planned to use a USDA grant to hire overseas workers for her cherry harvest. A funding freeze has left her in debt and unsure whether she can hire the workers.

“I’ll admit to you, I bleed Republican. However, this has left a sour taste in my mouth,” Carlson said. “During Trump’s first administration, a lot of farmers — not all, but a lot of farmers — saw the positive side to his tariffs and to his agricultural dealings."

"Now, we’re not seeing that," she said. "Now, we’re seeing the actual opposite.”

Carlson says she doesn’t have much time to wait to solve her problems. Her farm had been awarded a grant worth $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pay for the costs associated with hiring seasonal workers from overseas through the H-2A visa program, which farmers have used for years to hire temporary agricultural workers.

Farmers like Carlson have been unable to get reimbursed for expenses they’ve already incurred under the grant, and there has been no official guidance from the USDA on whether they will get reimbursed for future expenses

Carlson has already spent $200,000 of her own money that she was expecting to get reimbursed under her grant’s contract. Without that money in her bank account, she doesn’t expect to have the funds to pay her existing staff to get through the growing season.

“We’re at that point where if we don’t get this funding, there could be issues of bankruptcy,” she said. “The American farmer is failing right now because you’re freezing funding meant to help the American farmer.”

Have a lot of fun!

Perhaps her tears can make Lake Michigan a salt water mini ocean.

 

[essentialsaltes]

USDA halts $500 million worth of deliveries to food banks ​

The halt in deliveries comes after the Trump administration separately slashed $1 billion for schools and food banks to buy food from farms.

The money that was clawed back across the three programs came from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a New Deal-era fund that gives USDA flexibility to prop up farmers facing natural disasters or adverse market conditions.

[Trump loves farmers, but he particularly loves farmers who aren't facing natural disasters or aren't lousy at business.]

It’s not clear how much of the $500 million for the emergency assistance program has been cut

“USDA has not yet announced plans to move forward with the canceled food orders,” the email states. “We believe the best approach is for network members to work through state agencies to obtain clarification from USDA.”

 

[essentialsaltes]

US farmers expected to bear the brunt of retaliatory tariffs​

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Canada and China were the second and third-largest destinations for U.S. agricultural products in 2024.

The organization's analysis indicates that retaliatory tariffs could target nearly $27 billion worth of U.S. agricultural goods, with significant impacts on soybeans, beef, and cotton.

Have a lot of fun!

 

[Belk]

Wait, where did all the talk about corporate welfare go?
I could make a lot of money if the government gave me $400,000 to pay my seasonal staff
"Poor me, I can't keep leaching off the government and taking advantage of migrants "

There are problems in other areas so you can't complain wen our policies create new issues?

 

[BPPLEE]

There are problems in other areas so you can't complain wen our policies create new issues?

One farmer is going to get $400,000 to pay seasonal workers?
You don't see a problem here?

 

[Belk]

One farmer is going to get $400,000 to pay seasonal workers?
You don't see a problem here?

Got any specifics? Because I try not to jump to snap judgement based on sound bites. That tends to lead to poor understanding of the nuances of a situation. If we want to start looking at issues with farm funding I'm down but simply pulling the rug out from under American farmers is not a good strategy for long term cost savings.

 

[BPPLEE]

Got any specifics? Because I try not to jump to snap judgement based on sound bites. That tends to lead to poor understanding of the nuances of a situation. If we want to start looking at issues with farm funding I'm down but simply pulling the rug out from under American farmers is not a good strategy for long term cost savings.

While the situation with tariffs moves forward, Carlson says she doesn’t have much time to wait to solve her problems. Her farm had been awarded a grant worth $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pay for the costs associated with hiring seasonal workers from overseas through the H-2A visa program, which farmers have used for years to hire temporary agricultural workers.


The USDA describes the program on its website as a way to address labor shortages on American farms and reduce illegal immigration. It's backed by $65 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan, a Covid stimulus bill passed in 2021.

But now, funding for that program appears to be frozen.

 

[Belk]

While the situation with tariffs moves forward, Carlson says she doesn’t have much time to wait to solve her problems. Her farm had been awarded a grant worth $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pay for the costs associated with hiring seasonal workers from overseas through the H-2A visa program, which farmers have used for years to hire temporary agricultural workers.


The USDA describes the program on its website as a way to address labor shortages on American farms and reduce illegal immigration. It's backed by $65 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan, a Covid stimulus bill passed in 2021.

But now, funding for that program appears to be frozen.

OK. Looks like a valid program to me. Do you support reducing illegal immigration? This is an attempt to address that issue.

 

[essentialsaltes]

"Farm costs will rise," [W speechwriter David] Frum explains. "Farm incomes will drop. Under Trump’s tariffs, farmers will pay more for fertilizer. They will pay more for farm equipment. They will pay more for the fuel to ship their products to market. When foreign countries retaliate, raising their own tariff barriers, American farmers will lose export markets. Their domestic sales will come under pressure too, because tariffs will shrink Americans’ disposable incomes: Consumers will have to cut back everywhere, including at the grocery store."

"If a farm family voted for Trump, believing that his policies were good, it seems strange that they would then demand that they, and only they, should be spared the full consequences of those policies," he writes. "Tariffs are the dish that rural America ordered for everyone. Now the dish has arrived at the table. For some reason, they do not want to partake themselves or pay their share of the bill. That’s not how it should work. What you serve to others you should eat yourself. And if rural America cannot choke down its portion, why must other Americans stomach theirs?"

Have a lot of fun!

 

[Fantine]

There's a soundtrack to Trump's tariff talks:

 

[essentialsaltes]

HAVE A LOT OF FUN!

 

[essentialsaltes]

'This is pushing me left': Beekeeper who voted for Trump three times hit hard by economy​

North Carolina farmer Jim Hartman, who operates Secret Garden Bees, told CNN that he voted for Trump all three times, but he's not sure he would have made the same decision in November if he knew what the president's tariffs and funding cuts would do to his honey business, reported The Daily Beast.

half of his business comes from selling honey to the government to use at food banks and in schools through a Department of Agriculture [program] that was suddenly ended.

“For a lot of other local farmers around here, that was a major source of reliable revenue,” he said.

“I never thought I was going to lose this much money this fast,” Hartman said.

Have a lot of fun!

 

[rambot]

"Farm costs will rise," [W speechwriter David] Frum explains. "Farm incomes will drop. Under Trump’s tariffs, farmers will pay more for fertilizer. They will pay more for farm equipment. They will pay more for the fuel to ship their products to market. When foreign countries retaliate, raising their own tariff barriers, American farmers will lose export markets. Their domestic sales will come under pressure too, because tariffs will shrink Americans’ disposable incomes: Consumers will have to cut back everywhere, including at the grocery store."

"If a farm family voted for Trump, believing that his policies were good, it seems strange that they would then demand that they, and only they, should be spared the full consequences of those policies," he writes. "Tariffs are the dish that rural America ordered for everyone. Now the dish has arrived at the table. For some reason, they do not want to partake themselves or pay their share of the bill. That’s not how it should work. What you serve to others you should eat yourself. And if rural America cannot choke down its portion, why must other Americans stomach theirs?"

Have a lot of fun!

It ABSOLUTELY boggles my mind that farmers would say "We didn't vote for this".

I think trump is one of the worst communicators I have ever had the displeasure of listening to. But he made it abundantly clear tariffs were coming.