US to launch US$8 billion support programme for farmers to offset diesel costs: Trump

PARK CITY, Kansas – President Donald Trump said on Oct 19 the US Department of Agriculture will launch what he called a new “harvest fuel relief programme” that will provide farmers with US$8 billion (S$10.23 billion) in support to offset diesel costs during the harvest season.“Tonight, I’m also pleased to announce that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief programme, providing our farmers with US$8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season,” Trump said in a midterm election campaign speech in Kansas.The announcement was the latest in ⁠a series of financial promises and pledges that the Republican leader has made to voters ​heading into the November midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake.The ​Republican Party currently has a narrow majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, Trump’s approval rating has been low due to his handling of the high cost of ​living for Americans during the US-Israeli war on Iran that has raised fuel prices.Trump and the Republican Party have been scrambling to maintain support in farm states with competitive Senate races as costs have risen.Trump signed an executive order earlier in October that he said would expand access to tax-exempt diesel.The Department of Agriculture said after Trump’s speech on Oct 19 that it would make US$8 billion available “for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs”.The programme will provide what the department called “proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of modelled losses during the 2026 crop year”.The US$8 billion in payments would be administered by the department’s Farm Service Agency, the department said.Trump ​has also separately proposed sending US$5,000 checks ⁠to all adult citizens if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate in the midterms, though analysts, ​economists and even some Republicans in Congress have reacted with scepticism.Earlier in October, Trump said the US government would send a one-time payment of US$90 ​to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, a health ‌insurance programme for the elderly. REUTERS