Rep. Rosa DeLauro Accuses Trump Administration of Worsening Cost-of-Living Crisis for Farmers

Cost-of-Living Crisis and Farm Program Cuts

• 🇺🇸 Rep. Rosa DeLauro asserts that the Trump administration is exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis by unlawfully freezing and impounding congressionally appropriated funds for programs assisting American farmers.
• 🏛️ She emphasizes that the power of the purse resides in Congress, as per the Constitution, and criticizes the administration for disregarding this.
• 📉 A long list of agricultural programs, including those for National Institute of Food and Agriculture, local food purchases, environmental quality incentives, and conservation easements, have been frozen, canceled, or terminated.
• 🧑‍⚖️ The administration has also indiscriminately fired thousands of civil servants responsible for program administration and fund distribution.

Impact on Farmers and Rural Businesses

• 🚜 The president's focus is not on the cost-of-living crisis; instead, the administration is accused of making it worse by attacking farmers to fund tax cuts for billionaires.
• 💰 Over $600 million in funding for rural businesses and farmers, including through the Rural Energy for America program, has been halted, raising energy costs and increasing economic stress.
• 🌾 Farmers who invested in conservation projects under the environmental qualities incentives program have been left unsupported.
• 🍎 Over $1 billion in funding for programs that help schools and food banks purchase food directly from local farms has been canceled, threatening farmers' livelihoods and children's nourishment.

Support for Small and Medium-Sized Farmers

• 🧑‍🌾 DeLauro highlights her focus on small and medium-sized farmers, calling them the backbone of the country and her state.
• 🌾 She shares the story of Willie Delicamera, a small specialty crop farmer from her district who faced over $200,000 in losses after a storm, yet has not received any aid from a new recovery grant.
• 🤝 DeLauro pledges to work to ensure that the Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant, designed to help farmers with extreme weather events, gets out as Congress intended.

Budget Priorities and Food Security

• 🗓️ As of May, the White House has not presented a real budget, despite receiving Trump's budget plan in March.
• 🍲 Funding cuts are proposed for programs like Food for Peace, McGovern-Dole, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which would impact food security for millions domestically and abroad, including seniors.
• 🚫 These cuts also harm American farmers by eliminating proceeds from producing urgently needed food.
• 🗑️ Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food grown by American farmers have gone to waste due to the administration's funding freezes and agency dismantling.

Broader Economic and Political Criticisms

• 💸 The administration's actions are not creating efficiency or saving money for farmers or consumers; in fact, the president's trade war is costing taxpayers billions in bailouts.
• 🎯 DeLauro criticizes the administration for prioritizing corporate interests and tax breaks for billionaires over the needs of farmers and hungry people.
• 🆘 She calls for immediate answers on how the administration plans to fix the