Trump touts economy despite thousands of struggling farm families; Rural Domestic Energy Council fails to deliver on today’s deadline; House Democrats demand action
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rural Voices USA today called out President Trump and Congressional Republicans for abandoning American farmers, as the president’s State of the Union address last night touted lower cost of living and “energy dominance”, failing to mention the thousands of farm families facing bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the Rural Domestic Energy Council missed today’s February 25 deadline to bring E15 legislation to a vote, the second blown deadline after failing to produce a proposal by February 15.
Rural Voices USA’s six-figure “Stop the Stall” advertising campaign, featuring digital ads and billboards across congressional districts in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, will intensify as Congress continues to fail farmers.
“As the president stood before the nation and bragged about the state of our country, thousands of farmers are facing a deepening ag crisis and struggling to make ends meet. Sadly, he didn’t even mention farmers,” said Chris Gibbs, Board Chairman of Rural Voices USA. “President Trump and House Republicans want to use the economy and energy dominance as talking points, yet won’t actually enact policies to back up these claims. If they were serious about lowering gas prices, raising wages, and bolstering energy dominance, they would pass year-round E15.”
American agriculture faces the worst economic conditions in a generation. USDA projects farm income will decline by over $4 billion in 2026. Government payments are set to make up nearly one-third of farm income this year. Half of all farmers say their operations are worse off than a year ago. Since Congress punted on E15 in December 2024, more than 17,000 family farms have filed for bankruptcy, tracked in real time at ruralvoices.us/stopthestall. See billboard photos below.
As Republicans stall, Democrats across the nation are urging action. Earlier this week, 14 House Democrats led by Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet sent a letter to Council Co-Chairs Feenstra and Bice demanding action on year-round E15 and criticizing Republican leadership for establishing a partisan council instead of passing legislation that already had bipartisan support. In Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly urged the state’s Congressional delegation to pass legislation securing access to the fuel.
“Farmers don’t care about party labels. They care about results,” said Gibbs. “Right now, it’s about who is fighting for rural America and who is protecting Big Oil. Farmers are watching, and they’ll remember in November.”
contact: info@ruralvoices.us
About Rural Voices USA
Rural Voices USA is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advocating for the interests of rural Americans and farm families. Learn more at ruralvoices.us/stopthestall.