Shutdown Leaves Farmers Waiting, Amid a Recovering Agricultural Economy

Washington, D.C. — Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Tate Bennett, Director of Rural Policy, regarding the ongoing government shutdown:

“America’s farmers and ranchers feed the nation and world, yet they’re being forced to wait for the various tools they need at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The shutdown is adding to the many challenges facing the recovering farm economy, including a $50 billion agricultural trade deficit, a lack of new trade deals in recent years, and input costs that are 30 percent higher than normal.

From Kentucky to Kansas, farmers are watching the clock run out. They need certainty, not obstruction. Radicals in Congress must stop holding rural America hostage, reopen the government, and let this administration deliver the results our producers have earned.”