Tariffs Will Hurt Farmers the Most
Published: Friday, April 11, 2025
Rural USA PAC President Chris Gibbs and owner and operator of a 560-acre farm in west central Ohio, last Wednesday released the following statement on President Trump's expected tariff announcement and its impact on rural America.
"As President Trump prepares to once again impose sweeping tariffs on America's trading partners, it's rural America—and especially the very people who voted for him—who will pay the highest price.
"In the middle of a deepening farm economy crisis, this couldn't come at a worse time. Input costs are already sky-high, and these tariffs will only push them further out of reach.
"From fertilizer to machinery, everything farmers need to stay afloat will get more expensive. At the same time, we can expect the same kind of retaliation we saw during the last trade war—foreign tariffs aimed squarely at our farmers and ranchers. The end result? More family farms pushed to the brink. Many will simply have to fold.
"We've seen this movie before, and we know how it ends. American farmers lose markets they spent decades building. Global buyers turn to South America or elsewhere, and those lost markets don't come back overnight—if they come back at all. The damage is real, and it's lasting.
"And this isn't a partisan issue. It's an American issue that adversely affects every family farm, every rural main street business, and every community that depends on the strength of American agriculture. Whether you live in a red state or a blue one, the consequences of these policies hit home just the same.
"Farms and farmers are a national security interest. A strong, independent rural economy feeds our families, fuels our future, and fortifies our nation. This isn't just about dollars and cents. It's about livelihoods, legacies, and the survival of rural communities across this country.
"Rural Voices USA PAC is going to stand up and give these rural Americans the opportunity to speak up. In the coming weeks and months, we will be launching a special testimonial project to lift up the real stories of rural Americans—farmers, ranchers, small business owners—who will be hurt not just by these tariffs, but also by ongoing cuts to USDA programs that are supposed to support them in tough times. Their voices need to be heard. Because rural America deserves better than being used as a political pawn and left to clean up the mess afterward."
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