Davids Urges Trump Administration to Provide Targeted Relief, Restore Trade Stability for Kansas Farmers

Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) called on President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to take immediate action to support Kansas farmers and ranchers facing mounting economic pressures from the administration’s ongoing trade war. In a letter sent last week, Davids urged the administration to restore critical trade relationships and create a fiscally responsible, targeted relief plan that puts small and mid-sized producers first.

“Due to your administration’s self-inflicted trade war, I consistently hear from Kansas producers facing severe economic challenges,” said Davids. “This is reflected in the data by increased farm bankruptcy filings. While farmers and ranchers often say they want ‘trade not aid,’ in the short term, many producers need assistance to remain solvent and continue operating.”

Davids’ letter outlines three key requirements for any tariff relief program:

• Learn from past failures: The 2018–2019 ad hoc relief programs were riddled with inefficiencies and inequities, as documented by multiple Government Accountability Office reports. Any new plan must incorporate those lessons to avoid repeating those mistakes.
• Protect taxpayer dollars: Relief must include strong guardrails, transparency, and robust federal oversight to ensure funds are used appropriately and reach producers who truly need them.
• Support small and mid-sized farms: Assistance should be fair and equitable, not skewed toward the largest operations at the expense of family farms that form the backbone of Kansas agriculture.

Kansas farmers and ranchers are facing deep economic strain from the administration’s reckless tariff policies, which contributed to an estimated $27 billion in lost farm exports during the first Trump Administration. Rising input costs, high interest rates, and growing farm bankruptcies have only made things worse. While producers prefer “trade, not aid,” many now need immediate support to survive the trade war’s fallout, along with long-term solutions that restore certainty and market access.

Davids’ letter urges the administration to work directly with Congress and agriculture stakeholders to rebuild stability, reestablish export markets, and ensure Kansas farmers can continue doing what they do best: feeding Kansas, the country, and the world.

Read Davids’ full letter here or below:

Dear President Trump and Secretary Rollins, 

I write today to urge you to support Kansas farmers and ranchers who are struggling amid deep uncertainty and worsening economic conditions caused by your trade war. Farmers rely on stable, long-term trading relationships, yet reckless tariffs have eroded key markets like China, which has sharply reduced its purchase of U.S. soybeans. Kansas producers are already facing rising input costs and high interest rates, pushing the farm economy toward crisis. 

American farmers and ranchers have been in this situation before. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, during the first Trump Administration, American farmers lost roughly $27 billion in exports between 2018 and 2019. Many producers relied on the Market Facilitation Program and other ad hoc direct income support programs to stay afloat, putting the financial burden on all hardworking Kansans. 

Now, due to your administration’s self-inflicted trade war, I consistently hear from Kansas producers facing severe economic challenges. This is reflected in the data by increased farm bankruptcy filings. While farmers and ranchers often say they want “trade not aid,” in the short term, many producers need assistance to remain solvent and continue operating. 

To that end, while restoring trade partnerships remains my ultimate demand, I also urge you to work with agriculture stakeholders and develop a fiscally responsible plan for targeted tariff relief to American producers that: 

• Incorporates lessons learned from the 2018 and 2019 ad hoc trade relief programs, as outlined in subsequent Government Accountability Office reports;
• Includes strong guardrails and robust government oversight; and
• Ensures small and mid-sized farms receive fair and equitable support. 

Furthermore, I urge you to work with Congress on this relief package. Producers deserve certainty and any tariff relief should not add to the challenge of navigating impulsive trade and policy changes.

Kansas farmers and ranchers deserve trade policies that open doors rather than create new obstacles. I urge your administration to provide certainty for our producers, restore trade relationships, and ensure Kansas farmers can continue doing what they do best — feeding our country and the world.

Sincerely,