Kansas Rep. Davids brings farm bureau president to Trump’s joint session amid tariff concerns
A pair of individuals who admit they don’t always agree on ideas will sit next to each other at the joint session with President Trump on Tuesday night.
Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democratic congresswoman representing the Kansas City area, will bring Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland with her to the session. Both Davids and Newland are focused on keeping costs low for Kansas farmers and ranchers. They are aware that the historic tariffs that Trump has implemented are likely to cause significant price increases.
However, Davids and Newland expressed uncertainty regarding support from the federal government. During Trump’s first term, he signed off on tariffs in 2018 and 2019, with the USDA providing agriculture producers checks to help offset the incurred costs. This time, though, there is a different Secretary of Agriculture, and the drastic changes in tariffs under Trump are creating uncertainty for Davids and Newland.
“Some of my concern is the lack of predictability and the uncertainty that I’ve observed from the President,” Davids, the Kansas delegation’s lone Democrat in Washington, D.C., told 12 News in a news conference on Tuesday.
“I think uncertainty is definitely the key word here,” Newland added.
He pointed out that there is too much confusion regarding the future of the farm bill and the implications of the tariffs.
In 2019, farm bankruptcies increased by 20%, even with federal government cash assistance provided to farmers.
Dr. Peri DaSilva from Kansas State University has conducted numerous studies on the effects of tariffs. He believes that if the current tariffs remain in place, other countries will likely impose their own tariffs, which could target American goods, particularly crops harvested in Kansas.
In 2023, the Kansas Department of Agriculture reported that $4.64 billion in agricultural products were exported globally, accounting for about 40% of Kansas’s agricultural output.
DaSilva said that other countries may impose taxes on goods produced and harvested in the Midwest, as this region often shows strong support for Trump during elections.
Companies may respond to the tariffs in various ways. For instance, Chipotle has indicated that it will absorb the additional costs associated with the tariffs.
“We are going to see some firms absorbing costs by laying off employees, while others may push for price increases,” DaSilva said.
American consumers could face price hikes on goods in the coming months as a result of the ongoing trade war.
On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that a deal would likely be made with Canada and Mexico as soon as Wednesday.